Besotted
by Gasian Gaond
Summary: Mio and Ritsu's friendship had stayed undisturbed for years, and it would have certainly stayed like that forever if a new girl hadn't suddenly come into picture. Everything soon changed, and they weren't sure if they were just best friends anymore.
1. Chapter 1: A Girl from Another Land

A/N: Fic follows manga timeline, but also includes original events that happen in the anime. Contains minor manga spoilers. Takes place sometime after chapter 42 of manga (Romeo and Juliet play).

Chapter 1: A Girl from Another Land

She knew something would happen that day.

The rain poured down outside the unusually quiet music room after school. There was neither tea nor cakes served on plates. Mugi had to prepare for an important family event and went home early. Yui visited her grandmother who was bedridden to the hospital, and Azusa helped her mother bake cakes for her father's birthday. Ritsu was told to stay behind in the teacher's office because she had tripped Sawako on purpose in the middle of the corridor.

None of the K-on club members were able to be present in the music room that day, except for a certain long-haired bassist. The girl sat on one of the chairs while holding a pen on her left hand, her eyes staring blankly to a piece of white paper on the table in front of her. She could hear parts of audible voices coming from the earphones she was wearing as she switched the radio station every few seconds.

"...Beat the eggs up to frothy consistency..."

"...And they say, would you believe, girls nowadays spend beaucoup bucks on..."

"...Their new single 'The Bee's Knees' is finally out and..."

"...Want to avoid beefy thighs but you don't believe in taking medicine? Just call..."

Mio switched off her radio and sighed.

She thought that when everyone was not around and there was finally peace and quiet in the club room, she could manage to come up with a new song. On the contrary, nothing really came to mind and she stopped writing before long.

Her brain was befogged by the lack of sleep because of Ritsu staying at her room until late the night before, asking her help for finishing homework ("Well, you said to me on the phone, 'Do what you think best', so I came to you because this is what I think best, reaping the benefits of having a smart girl as a best friend!" ...was what she said to her last night).

That Ritsu. It beggars belief how she could still mess up Mio's brain when she wasn't even there. And Mio couldn't begin to understand why she was willing to sacrifice a good night's sleep in behalf of her childhood friend (when she could easily get the better of her in an argument).

'Perhaps we're gonna be like this forever, huh?' she thought.

Not that Ritsu was a bad company. Although she loved to take advantage of her and make fun of her cowardice and shyness, Mio knew she would manage to do anything if it was for Mio's sake. She completely believed Ritsu's loyalty to their friendship and club, just like how Ritsu believed hers, and their friendship was just as pure as that.

They almost never kept secrets from each other, and Mio knew a lot of stupid and trivial things about Ritsu, so much that when somebody told her about a rumor that Ritsu started to bring her whole drum set to elementary school to avoid it being thrown away by her mom, she could blatantly comment, "I can believe that of her." Mio had hardly ever betrayed a confidence though.

She also entrusted Ritsu with some of her own secrets, and although she didn't really trust Ritsu because of her easy-going nature (she even had occasionally betrayed herself), Ritsu once told her that she trusted her more than anyone else in the world. Mio remembered how she blushed and tried to hide her happiness by pretending to be busily scribbling on her notebook.

'We were such innocent kids back then, weren't we?' she thought, 'And that friendship will never change...'

Just as Mio was considering whether she should go home or wait for Ritsu to finish her detention, she suddenly heard a knock on the door.

'Mugi? Or Azusa?' she thought.

However, before she could say anything, the door was opened and she saw a girl standing there. She had long rich auburn hair and pretty hazel eyes. From the color of the tie she was wearing, Mio knew she was in the same grade as Azusa, but she had never seen this girl before.

To the best of her knowledge, the only new student who had the nerve to enter this room after freshman reception was Azusa. 'So what is this girl doing here...?' Mio thought.

The girl obviously looked confused as her eyes started to wander around the room. Mio felt she should say something.

"Are you lost?" she asked.

"Eh? Umm..." the girl said, "I'm looking for a club..."

'Probably the jazz club or orchestra...' Mio thought plainly. "Uhm...I'm sorry, but perhaps you came to the wrong-"

"I'm looking for the light music club, "she said.

Mio was silent for a brief second. "You're looking for the light music...?"

"Uh, yes!" she said, her voice became slightly louder, "Is this the light music club room?"

"Yes, it is, "she replied.

The girl's face brightened.

"Can you please tell me your name?" the girl asked.

"Uh...I'm Akiyama. Mio Akiyama."

Mio had mixed thoughts about this. If this girl wanted to join, it would be good news for the club. But if she was just an ordinary fan or, even worse, one of the members of her fan club, she didn't really know what to do. The betting was that Ritsu would say that the club stood to benefit from the visit of K-on fans into their club room, and then she would start scheming for ways to bilk money from them.

However, the next thing that came out of the girl's mouth was completely unexpected for her.

"I am looking for Ritsu-sempai, "she said happily, "Can I leave something for her here? It's a belated birthday present..."

The girl pulled out a beautifully wrapped gift from her bag and handed it to Mio.

She thanked her and was about to close the door when she suddenly added, "Oh, and can you pass her a message for me? Please tell her to stop coming late for a date, "she said, "We were always behind schedule and missed the movie because of it!"

Then the door was closed and she left without telling her name.

Mio stared in disbelief at the neat handwriting on the piece of paper that was taped on the present.

"From: Aoi Fujii

To: Ritsu Tainaka

Happy birthday."

She knew something would happen that day.

* * *

'She would never hide anything from me, right?'

That was all she thought when she decided to call Ritsu that night to tell her – and to find out – what the hell was going on.

After a few seconds, Ritsu answered the phone.

"Hey, Mio, I was looking for you in the music room just now!" she heard Ritsu's voice, "You said you would be there until at least three... Why did you suddenly go home early?"

"I need to tell you something."

"What? You seem...annoyed, "she said, "Are you mad? Okay, okay, I'm sorry about last week!"

"No, it's not that."

"Not that? Then...I'm sorry for tricking you to watch a horror double bill with me last month!"

"No, not that either. I will NEVER forgiveyou for that."

"That's mean...So...What do you want to talk about...? Stop beating around the bush..."

"You're the one who talks too much!"

"Okay, so I failed to guess what you want to talk about. Fill me in?"

Mio decided to go straight to the point. "...Today, I met Aoi Fujii."

There was a silence.

"Aoi...?" she said, "How the hell did you meet Aoi?"

"I should be the one who asks you that, "Mio said, "And when and where your relationship has its beginnings while the rest of us don't have any clue about..."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Ritsu bellowed bemusedly, "What ARE you talking about?"

Mio stayed silent for a while, Aoi's happy smile when she mentioned Ritsu's name flashed in her mind.

"...Unless I heard it wrong...she said she's gone a date with you..."

"Hell no!" she bellowed again, "She obviously doesn't know what 'dating' means! She's that kind a girl. And since when do I date girls?"

"Everyone knows what dating means."

"Well, contrary to popular belief, this girl does not, "Ritsu said, "She spent many years outside Japan and she hasn't even finished moving all of her belongings here. Her Japanese sometimes sucks."

"She seems very close to you..."

"Eh? She's a nice girl, right?" she said, "'Kay, Mio, gotta hang up now. Battery's dead. Bye."

And she hung up just like that.

Mio stared silently at her phone.

Aoi Fujii was a second year student at Sakurakou High School. She had long auburn hair and hazel eyes. She misused some Japanese words and had just moved to Japan after living abroad for many years. She went out with Ritsu several times and gave her a belated birthday present.

And she was...for the first time in her life...a friend of Ritsu whom Mio never knew about.

* * *

"And only because you know nothing about her, you start to think negatively about her... That's distinctly below the belt, Mio-sempai..."

Just a few seconds after Ritsu hung up, Azusa conveniently called, giving Mio someone neutral enough whom she could immediately talk to.

"I don't think negatively about her..." Mio explained, "It's just... I don't know. I feel uneasy..."

Her discovery of that girl somehow gave her a strange feeling, as if it was a bellwether of change, an omen.

"You're thinking too much..." Azusa said, "She's a very nice girl."

"Eh? You know her?"

"Not really. We're just acquaintances. She's quite a well-known transfer student, and she's rich, too. Maybe you should ask Mugi-sempai. She might know more about her than I do."

"I see..."

"Mio-sempai?"

"Huh?"

"Why are you worried?"

"Worried?"

'Worried...So I am worried, huh?' she thought.

Why did Ritsu's explanation hardly sound believable in her ears?

Why did she feel uneasy, when she found out that Ritsu already had a close friend under her belt?

Why did she really felt the need to tell someone about that uneasy feeling, when she usually kept personal things like this to herself?

"Sempai...?"

"...I've had a bellyful of that stupid Ritsu."

Mio knew Ritsu was bent on giving her hell until the bitter end of their lives.

* * *

"So Ricchan has a new friend...?" Yui said, stuffing biscuits into her mouth.

"She's a new transfer student in the class next to mine, "Azusa said, "What surprised me is that Mio-sempai seems to know nothing about her..."

After school next day, Azusa, who was sitting at the table facing Yui, somehow told Mio's story to the girl who was the most prone to blab it to the entire club. Well, maybe second only to Ritsu.

"Mio-chan doesn't know...?"

"Yeah, I do believe..."

'Wait, why am I telling this to her...?' Azusa thought. Nobody else was there yet and she suddenly got the mood to talk about yesterday...

"Ricchan might want to make it a surprise..." Yui said innocently, "And when Mio-chan finds out, she'll be really good friends with Aoi-chan, and the three of them will live happily ever after!"

"And here I thought Mio-sempai was the only one who had a bent for creating weird fairy tales..."

"But I like Mio-chan's story about 'The Prince of Correcting Pen'!"

"What's with 'The Prince of Correcting Pen'?"

Yui and Azusa looked at the door and saw Ritsu entering the club room.

"Ricchan! You know that story?"

"No. And I don't want to know."

"I'm quite sure nobody else wants to, "Azusa said.

"But I can guess who wrote it, "Ritsu said, "Nobody else in the whole population of Japan would ever come up with such a stupid idea for a title."

"What are you saying, stupid?"

Ritsu suddenly yelped in pain as Mio appeared and hit her forehead with her fist.

"That hurt!"

"Oh, Mio-chan is here."

"Like you can create a better story than I can."

"But it's stupid! When we were ten, you wrote something with a bass, an eraser, and a cow on the title!"

"Oh, wow, "Azusa commented.

"But I still won."

"I knew you were drunk when you wrote it."

"You did not!"

Mio was about to hit her again when the door opened and Mugi walked in.

"It's so lively in here, "she said with a wide smile on her face.

"We're not having fun."

"Yeah, Mio is being such an idi-OUCH!"

"I'm gonna give you a lesson later, believe you me." Azusa was almost able to see the raging aura that blazed from Mio's body.

"Mio-chan and Ricchan are getting along as usual, aren't they?" Yui laughed.

Azusa watched the two girls bickering and felt slightly relieved. She had feared the situation would turn awkward like how Ritsu was not in really good terms with Mio back then. She hoped this kind of situation would stay the same no matter what.

"By the way, where's Sawa-chan?" Yui asked.

"I wonder where she is..." Mio said as she and Ritsu sat down beside Yui.

"She shouldn't miss today's crepes, "Mugi said.

"She should be here by now..." Ritsu said. She pulled out her cell phone from her bag. After looking at the screen for a few seconds, she grinned and said, "I guess she's here."

The door opened again with a bang and Sawako was there, standing proudly with a big smile on her face. "Hello, everyone!"

"Whoa, you seem to be full of energy today. Have you finally made up with your boyfriend?" Mio asked.

"No. Why am I besieged with so many questions like that lately?" she exclaimed, "Anyway, that's beside the point. I got the biggest present for you today!"

She opened the door wider and asked the person outside to come in.

Mio could barely hear Azusa gasp as the person walked into the music room.

"Allow me to introduce..." Sawako said.

Mio almost couldn't believe her eyes.

"... Aoi Fujii. She'll be a member of this club from now on!"

"Really? That's great!" Yui cheered.

"Ritsu-sempai asked me to join this club, "Aoi said.

"Is that true, Ricchan?"

"I planned it as a surprise for everyone, "Ritsu grinned.

"It's really nice to meet you, Aoi-chan!"

"Welcome to the club, "Mugi clapped her hands.

Azusa watched Yui shaking Aoi's hands happily and turned her head to see Mio's expression.

"Mio-sempai..." she whispered.

So Yui's predictions really came true, but the latter part of her story...was what Azusa doubted would ever happen.

* * *

A/N: First K-on fic!

The outline of this fic is made by my friend. We both love MioxRitsu though.

This fic originally doesn't include an original character, but it does in the end since none of the other K-on characters can really fit Aoi's role. And for why Aoi entrusted her present to Mio when she could just give it to Ritsu a day later, it will be explained later on.

The fic is rated T because of some suggestive little things that will be mentioned later.

Little trivia: The surname "Fujii" is taken from a former member of Japanese band P-Model, just like the rest of the K-on club members, whose surnames are entirely derived from the former members of this band.

(My friend mentioned that P-Model's Fujii play drums. Fujii in this fic won't be able to play drums at all, though.)


	2. Chapter 2: The Prince and The Devil

A/N: IMPORTANT little correction thingy about the fic...

In my previous note, it's said that the fic "takes place sometime after chapter 42 of manga", the correct one is "takes place sometime BEFORE chapter 42 of manga". To be exact, it's actually in the spring. Sorry for the mistake!

Ack, wrong school name...! Thanks for pointing it out. ^^V

Thanks for the reviews everyone!!

And yay, second season. Proves K-on is a serious money-making business for K(y)-O(a)N(i), like LOVELESS said.

Little trivia: For anyone who doesn't know yet, "the essay which started Ritsu's close friendship with Mio" is based on volume 3 special chapter 8.5 (chapter 35.5) of manga.

That is all! Hope you enjoy the chap!

Chapter 2: The Prince and the Devil

The first time Ritsu called Mio her "best friend" was back when they were still ten years old. At that time, they were given a task by their teacher to write an essay about their best friends.

"Ritsu-chan, who will you write about?" the teacher asked.

Little Ritsu, who was busily scribbling on a piece of paper, looked up to her and replied enthusiastically, "Mio-chan!"

Everyone in the class giggled and turned their heads toward Mio. The girl bowed her head in embarrassment. It was very unusual for them that a noisy and boisterous girl like Ritsu could become best friends with a shy and quiet girl like Mio. The teacher praised Ritsu's spirit which bolstered everyone's confidence to write and told the kids to finish their essays at home.

When they went home together that day, Mio remarked about what had happened at school.

"You're making me the center of attention in class..."

"What's wrong with that? You've read your essay in front of a whole lot more people before, "Ritsu said casually.

Mio bowed her head and mumbled, "But you don't have to shout..."

"I can shout whenever I want...yahoo! Mio-chan is my best..."

She panicked as people around them started looking and interrupted, "Don't be so loud!"

Ritsu found her expression amusing and said, "Mio-chan, at this rate you're gonna be an introvert..."

"No, I won't! You're really mean!" she cried.

"Then why can't I..."

"You don't have to shout my name out loud like that!" Mio blew up at her.

"Then whose name do you want me to shout out loud??"

There was a silence.

"Mio-chan...?" Ritsu said, "I'm just joking, I..."

She said nothing as she turned away and ran, blinking back her tears and ignoring Ritsu who called her name again and again.

* * *

That night, Mio stayed curled on her bed, her essay paper remained empty on her desk.

She didn't know what to do.

This should be a piece of cake for her as an excellent writer who had an award for her essay before.

The essay which started her close friendship with Ritsu...

Mio buried her head in her pillow. For the first time in her life, she felt how painful it was to be hurt by a best friend.

She could just pick up her pen and write everything she knew about Ritsu, but she couldn't. When she thought about Ritsu, pain and anger filled her heart.

However, every time she thought to write about someone else, she always stopped when she remembered that the teacher told her to write about her "best" friend. Ritsu was the "best" friend she ever had.

She could feel tears welled up in her eyes before she fell asleep.

* * *

The next day, Mio was the only one who didn't make an essay. The teacher scolded her and she only said she forgot to make it. Because of this, the teacher asked Ritsu to read her essay. Mio shut her eyes, both because she wanted to avoid eye contact with Ritsu and because she was about to be the center of attention again.

Or... Ritsu might not want to write about her anymore, just like herself...?

"This essay is about my best friend Mio-chan..." she began.

Mio unconsciously opened her eyes.

"When we first met, Mio-chan is a very shy girl, but I like her very much, because she's very cute. She's also a very quiet girl, and some of my friends think we have nothing in common. Yesterday I was confused about this, too..."

Some of the classmates laughed and she smiled nervously.

"...But we do have one thing in common. Both of us love music. We recently started to learn how to play the instruments that we like. Mio plays bass, and I play drums. One day we will form a fantastic band!

Mio-chan is a very nice girl, but it's not that we never fight at all. I'm afraid that I hurt her feelings. I'm really sorry about the bad things I have said to her..."

Mio stared blankly at one spot on the floor.

"...But I know she will never hate me," she continued, "Because she will only hate me, after everyone else in the world does!"

Mio raised her head and saw Ritsu grinning at her.

"Mio-chan is..." she took a deep breath and shouted, "The best friend I love most in the whole world!!"

The class clapped and cheered and Mio was already blushing. She had never felt embarrassed and happy at the same time.

"...What I think about her will never change," she said, "And I will do my best, to make her happy. The end."

The class was still cheering when the teacher asked Ritsu to hand her essay to Mio as a memento. When Ritsu apologized to her, she promised, in front of the whole class, that she would definitely write one for her, too. Ritsu only grinned happily to her.

Today, Mio couldn't remember anymore in which book she had slipped the paper into, and it might be a simple essay made by a ten-year-old little girl with no talent at all in writing, but Mio could still remember what was written on it, maybe not word by word, but every priceless thing that Ritsu wrote about her...was too precious to be forgotten.

* * *

"When did you arrive in Japan, Aoi-chan?"

"About a month ago. I moved here with my father..."

As soon as Aoi had been officially introduced, she was asked to sit at the table with the girls and Sawako. Mugi took out a new cup from the cabinet, which she had turned into the club's personal tea set storage, and kindly served a cup of steaming, hot tea for Aoi, as she was being barraged with questions. Mio had a sense of déjà vu when she watched the scene, it really reminded her of Azusa when she first joined.

"You've never come here your whole life?" Sawako asked curiously.

Aoi gave her a sweet smile and answered," No, I've never been to Japan before, but this place is my father's hometown."

"Do you like this school?" Yui asked cheerfully.

She nodded. "I really like it!" she replied, "And I'm looking forward to having a girlfriend at this school!"

"Eh?"

Nobody said anything within a few seconds. Azusa almost dropped her cup in astonishment. Ritsu choked on her tea.

"Wrong! Stop sticking the world 'girl' in front of the word 'friend'!" she said, giving Aoi a concerned look, "How many times do I have to tell you that?"

"Does that really make any difference?" she asked ignorantly.

"A hell LOT of difference," the drummer sighed, "Geez, this isn't brain surgery we're doing here. You've been here a whole month and it's beyond me why you still can't learn some vocabularies right."

"But you still teach me," she said, smiling warmly at her.

"'Cause you asked me to," Ritsu stood up and poked Aoi's head, "So study harder, okay?"

She smiled again and answered, "Okay."

"And you..." Ritsu gazed over at Mugi, "Stop making that face!"

"You two seems to know each other quite well," Azusa commented, "How did you two meet?"

Yui piped in before Ritsu could say anything, "It must be something like...'I was doing it for a bet', or 'I just felt like playing the hero', or 'I did it for money', right, Ricchan?"

"You're making me the good guy, or the bad guy?" Ritsu grumbled, pinching Yui's hand until she cried in pain, "Actually, we accidentally met at the station."

"Ritsu-sempai saved me from a bunch of bad guys," Aoi told them joyfully, as if it was an unforgettable, fated meeting, "Like a prince on a white horse!"

"Prince on a white horse?" Mugi repeated, pouring more tea into everyone's cup.

"That's very sweet," Yui commented, "And Ricchan, I think it su-"

"Damn, people, cut it out! What's with the whole fairy tale thing??" Ritsu interrupted and pinched her again.

"Not another fairy tale talent in this club," Azusa said, letting out a sigh.

"So how did exactly you two meet?" Sawako returned to their previous topic.

"It's no big deal. I saw a bunch of idiots teasing her on the station platform. I asked them to leave her alone, but when they didn't listen, I pulled Aoi away and ran," Ritsu explained casually, shrugging her shoulders as she sat back on her chair.

"You ran away?" Yui said with a I-thought-you-beat-the-crap-outta-them look.

"I'm doing it for the best, dammit! There are five of them and one of them is at least four feet taller than I am!" she said quickly.

"But, Sempai, you were so cool when you bashed his face with your drumsticks! "Aoi pointed out.

"Drumsticks?" Mio repeated, "I thought you're taking good care of your equipment!"

"I did that without thinking! I was holding my drumsticks when that guy suddenly grabbed my hand!" she cried. As careless as Ritsu was, her whole drum set obviously meant the world for her, and Mio knew she would cry like an idiot if someone would jokingly make a hole on her snare drum.

Seeing Ritsu's expression, Yui grinned and said to her, "Aren't princes usually use swords, Ricchan?"

"A pair of drumsticks is a very innovative weapon," Mugi commented.

"I don't want to be prince!" Ritsu said, totally embarassed.

"Or would you rather be 'The Prince of Correcting Pen' instead?"

"That's way worse!!"

"Thanks a lot," Mio said sarcastically before punching her head so hard from behind that her forehead slammed on the table.

"Yowtch!" she cried painfully as she placed her hands on both her front and back side of her head.

"Whoa, nice," Sawako commented, as if it was some kind of a martial arts show.

"You see, Aoi-chan, if you're looking for a good friend, avoiding Ricchan is your best bet," Yui explained to an obviously bewildered Aoi.

"I support that," Mio added, drinking coldly from her cup of tea.

"Why does everyone hate me today?!" she bellowed.

"I'm kinda in the mood for making fun of you," Yui replied. She threw a glance at Azusa and said to Aoi, "I think Mio-chan is a safe bet, you should make friends with her!"

Azusa suddenly understood Yui's actions. Either that she was trying to break the ice between Mio and Aoi, or she was slightly irritated because Ritsu seemed to give less attention to Mio because of her new friend. Judging from how she treated Ritsu, probably both.

"Do you know Mio-chan? She's quite famous here," Mugi mentioned. This time it was Mio who choked on her tea.

"No! No, I'm not!" she said quickly.

"Because of a certain BEWITCHING performance," Ritsu smirked evilly.

"Ritsu, shut UP!" she exclaimed. Ritsu felt danger coming and she quickly slipped from her seat to avoid being smacked to the table again.

"I've heard of Akiyama-sempai before," Aoi said, "My friend said she plays bass, and..."

"She's a great bass player, and she's experienced in composing music, too," Yui explained. Mio blushed even more as Yui was making her some kind of a promotional mascot.

"Speaking of music," Azusa said, trying to get the conversation straight, "What instrument can you play, Fujii?"

"Oh, that's right, you haven't told us," Yui said, eyeing her curiously.

"She'll take vocals," Ritsu suddenly said.

"Eh?" Mio and Yui said in unison.

"Vocals! She's got good voice and stuff, and she's also a very accomplished singer!" she said with a big smile on her face.

"Have you been in a music club before?" Mugi asked, looking over at Aoi.

"No, last year I joined theater. I can't really play instruments, maybe just a bit of guitar. I planned to join theater at first, but Ritsu-sempai asked me to join this club instead," she replied. Aoi noticed a bit of tension hanging in the air by the time she finished her sentence. It was as if everyone's mood suddenly changed.

"I planned for her to take over the lead vocals in this club," Ritsu said, "In this way, Mio and Yui don't need to work as much as before, right?"

Mio felt her clench on her teacup handle tightened.

Yui immediately said, "But Ricchan, I wanna sing!"

"The bottom line is, there are risks when the lead vocalist and the lead guitar player is the same person," she explained.

"But..." Yui was about to say something to her, but she turned around to Sawako and said, "Sawa-chan Sensei!"

"I support Ritsu. We've talked about this before."

"Of course you will still sing, but Aoi'll take the lead vocals. This way, we can make more vocal varieties, right?" Ritsu continued, "And we can make both your jobs easier, especially Mio's. You don't have to sing anymore if you don't feel like singing on stage. We've already had a new singer to replace you now!"

Ritsu put her arms around Aoi and smiled at her.

Those words somehow pricked Mio's heart like a thousand needles. Although she knew Ritsu had nothing against her, she couldn't help but think that Ritsu was pushing her aside. Her negative feelings were even reinforced by the fact that her mind had already been butchered for two days straight since the appearance of this mysterious stranger claiming to be Ritsu's "date". She felt her hands shaking.

"Ritsu-sempai!" Azusa suddenly stood.

"I'm going home," Mio said as she stood up, took her bag, and burst out of the room.

This surprised everyone almost immediately, and there was a brief silence until Aoi asked hesitantly, "Uhm...Is something the matter?"

"She's got a really important issue to take care of at home," Mugi quickly said.

'Nice cover, Sempai,' Azusa thought.

"How do you know?" Ritsu raised her eyebrows.

"Err... How do I know?"

"She forgot her bass," Yui pointed out, "So...Aoi-chan, can you please take this to her?"

* * *

Mio walked away from the clubroom so quickly that she was almost running. Her feelings were all messed up and she didn't even know the reason why... She didn't hate Aoi... nor did she hate Ritsu...but she couldn't think of anything other than the memories that flashed one after another inside her mind.

"_She's a nice girl, right?" she heard Ritsu's voice._

"_So study harder, okay?" she saw Ritsu poking the younger girl's head affectionately._

"_Ritsu-sempai saved me from a bunch of bad guys, like a prince on a white horse!"_

"_But, Sempai, you're so cool!"_

"_We've already had a new singer to replace you now!" Ritsu put her arms around Aoi and smiled happily at her._

"_And I will always do my best, "the warm smile of a younger Ritsu suddenly flashed in her mind, "To make her happy..."_

Mio stopped walking. Girls wearing uniform with various tie colors threw a curious glance at her as they passed her in groups of two or three. She realized she had reached the school gates.

'Isn't it something she once said...?' she mused, 'And yet...'

'I feel like missing something...' she thought sadly.

It was at that point when she suddenly remembered.

"My bass!" she suddenly shouted.

How could she forget Elizabeth because she was so busily thinking about that idiot of a friend!

'What should I do now? I can't just go back there after walking away like that, it'll be embarrassing! But I don't want to leave Elizabeth at school! And if Ritsu takes it home with her, it'll be worse! Both for Elizabeth and for me!' she thought desperately.

"What should I do, what should I do, what should I..."

"Akiyama-sempai, there you are!"

Mio turned around and saw...her savior.

"You forgot this, didn't you?"

"Uh, uhm, I...." Mio muttered. This kind of situation embarrassed her more than anything. She opened her mouth and mumbled shyly to her, "T...thank you."

Mio looked at Aoi's smile.

An innocent smile without the slightest hint of bad intention...

Mio knew, there was nothing she hated from this girl.

But her thoughts had been wondering to all directions...ever since she first met this girl.

Wondering how she first met Ritsu...

Wondering how she spent time with Ritsu...

Wondering whether Ritsu went out with her when she cancelled her plan to eat at a new cafe with Mio...

'But why am I curious?' she thought.

"Here, Sempai," Aoi handed the bass to Mio.

"Oh, thanks," she said, hugging the bass, "Geez, if you didn't come, I..."

"I...I can kinda understand that..." she said after seeing Mio's expression.

Mio looked at her curiously and she continued, "I mean, I once dropped my most precious thing and spent the whole day desperately searching for it."

"Really...? What is it?" she asked, a smile spread across her face. She liked it when people she hardly knew wanted to share their stories to her.

"My pet iguana."

Mio was speechless for a short while. "Uh...where?"

"In an airplane to Mexico."

Mio didn't even dare to ask how that happened.

"...You are a strange person, aren't you?" Mio said, raising an eyebrow.

She didn't befriend a lot of those rich people like Mugi and Aoi. Except for Mugi, Ritsu usually disliked these kinds of people. Back in their junior high school days, she would occasionally say something along the lines of, "Just look at that yay-I'm-so-rich-and-I-know-seven-boys-in-the-biblical-sense bimbo...", "He thinks he's one of those big boys, but just look at him. I swear he adds his weight bit by bit by binging on chocolate at least twelve times a day", "That rich girl acts if she's big in here. She's very jealous of you, and when she asks how you grow your breasts, that really took the cake."

But Ritsu didn't seem to like having a bitch about this girl. 'That means...she's not as bad as those people, right?' she thought.

"Akiyama-sempai..." she called suddenly.

"Huh?" she said, wondering what she would tell to her now.

"I think I'm going to quit."

"Eh?" Mio almost thought she had heard it wrong, but Aoi's expression was solemn and confident. "Quit? Why?"

"Because you seem to be troubled by it..."

That was a very direct answer. Mio bit her tongue and said, "I'm not troubled. Who told you so?"

Aoi shrugged her shoulders.

Mio tried to make sense of the situation. "Uhm...quitting just a few minutes after you joined is a bit much, you know?"

"But it's not just you...Nakano and Hirasawa-sempai seem to be troubled, too..." she said with a sympathetic smile on her face.

"No..." Mio thought they had finally managed to find a new member that could inherit the club with Azusa. They couldn't lose this chance. "...Don't quit."

"But a band can only perform well when everyone does their bit and has nothing against each other, "Aoi said firmly, "Just like if the bass player and the drummer don't work together in the same beat, the whole performance will turn into a disaster."

Mio was slightly surprised with her analogy.

"Uh...why the bass player and..."

"Oh, that's the reason why my favorite band disbanded, "she explained. From her tone of voice, Mio knew it really bummed her. "The bass player was bitten by the solo debut bug or something and fought with the drummer. Although the band has the best of the argument, it made an impact and everybody left soon after."

"Solo debut...bug? Oh..."

"I don't want that kind of thing to happen in this band, "she said, "That is why..."

"Listen up, that's not gonna happen," Mio quickly said, "K-on is not that shallow. None of us will quit just because of a stupid argument."

"But..." she said reluctantly.

"Don't quit, I beg you!" she pleaded.

Both of them stayed silent for a while.

"Okay..." she said at last, "In one condition."

Mio sighed in relief. "What is it?"

"Please teach me how to play guitar," she said.

Mio stood there bewildered. "Eh?"

"Why 'eh'?"

"Why me?"

"Why not?"

"Why...oh, why're we using 'why's?" Mio sighed.

"I can play guitar a bit..." she explained, unable to take her eyes off Mio's bass, "And I thought playing guitar while singing is cool."

"Don't you understand why Ritsu wants to take over the lead vocals?"

"Don't you guys just want to add more members?" Aoi asked, tilting her head.

'We've been found out...' Mio thought.

"Why don't you just pay a professional teacher and learn music at home like other rich girls?"

"But Hirasawa-sempai advertised you."

Mio soon grew tired of making sense of this girl's logic.

She suddenly felt her cell phone vibrating in her pocket. She pulled it out and viewed the screen. In front of her, Aoi did the same with hers.

"From: Ritsu

We're going to the new cafe next town.

The food's every bit as delicious as a high-class restaurant!

Meet us at the station as fast as you can"

"...There's a new cafe next town?" Aoi said, clueless.

"It's a weird place named Bogus Cafe, "Mio explained to her, "But Ritsu said she heard the food's really good, and she really wants to visit this place. Last week she asked me to accompany her to go there, but she begged off at the last minute. She might want to make this a welcoming party for you or something."

Aoi listened to her as she examined her face curiously.

"W-what is it?" Mio asked, feeling a little bit embarrassed.

"You're very close to Ritsu-sempai," she said matter-of-factly.

Mio blinked a few times because of the sudden change of topic. "We're childhood friends."

"...Just now, I said I've heard about you from a friend..."she said, "That friend is Ritsu-sempai."

Mio stayed silent for a while. "...She must tell you awful things about me, right?"

"No..." Aoi replied, "She seems to really like you."

Mio didn't know what to say.

"She told me a lot of things about you. She said you're cute and shy since the first time she met you... She said you both started playing your instruments at the same time during elementary school... She said you are the last person on earth that could hate her because of her way of talking...And she said you are the best friend that she loves the most in the whole world..."

Mio didn't know which parts of Aoi's explanation was not true because of her tendency to misuse some Japanese words...

But she immediately recognized every bit of her words.

The precious little memory.

"Akiyama-sempai...your face is all red," Aoi said, pointing her finger to her face.

"Those are..." Mio turned her head to hide her face from Aoi, "...Really embarrassing."

"Really? I don't think so," she said innocently.

Mio sighed. Talking with this girl is as tiring as knocking some sense into Ritsu in a way. "...In which shameless country are you raised anyway?"

"A lot," she replied ambiguously.

Mio decided not to ask further. "No wonder you can tolerate Ritsu."

Aoi giggled and said, "Anyway, are you going with us?"

"Eh? But, I..." Mio was afraid her friends couldn't accept what she had done earlier.

Aoi seemed to be able to guess what she was thinking when she saw her expression. She smiled to her and said, "Don't worry about it. Just come."

"Well...okay," Mio mumbled, rubbing her head.

"That's good," Aoi said with a chuckle, "Oh yeah, one more thing, have you given her my present?"

"Oh, that, uh...I forgot!" Mio said, shaking her head, "Crap, I left it on my desk!"

"Oh, that's o..." Aoi said, but Mio quickly interrupted her.

"No, I'll bring it here. I'll meet you guys at the station, "she said, "By the way, why don't you just give it to her yourself today instead of leaving it to me yesterday?"

"Eh? I thought you're living with her, "she responded.

"Eh?" Mio said bemusedly. After a few seconds of thought and confusion, she screeched, "Wait, what!!"

Aoi looked as confused as she was. "Well, Ritsu-sempai actually told me waaaay more things about you. She said she's took a bath together with you, she said she's slept with you, she said you're a scaredy-cat and 'moe moe kyun' and she said she had a photo of you naked. Those made me think you guys're married or something..."

Mio blushed furiously as her head started swirling with embarrassment and rage. "That...I...urgh, that idiot!! That was long, long ago, dammit!" she blurted out, trying her best to brazen it out, "And in which country are you raised, really?? Those things don't always mean we're ma...living together!!"

Ritsu seriously didn't forget one too many things...why, then, did she always forget to submit forms if she had such a good memory?? Stupid Ritsuuu...!!

"So..." Aoi suddenly said, looking at her straight in the eye, "Are you Ritsu-sempai's girlfriend?"

The question came as a bolt from the blue and it stunned Mio for a brief second. Mio could feel the atmosphere tensed a little. "...No, "she spontaneously replied, "No, I'm not."

"I see, "she said before turning back and made her way back to school.

Mio didn't know whether she simply misused the world "girlfriend" like before or not. However, there was something in her suddenly cold expression which convinced Mio that...this time, she really meant it in every sense of the word.

* * *

"_Have you heard of the __new transfer student?"_

"_She's __very cute__, and you know what? She's really good at betting too! I never win from her."_

"_I__ heard her father's a boss in the nightclub and casino industry business..."_

"_Seriously?"_

"_Yeah, he's known as one of the kings in that world, and rumor has it that he has been teaching his daughter about the black industry since she was five..."_

"_That's hard to believe."_

"_She will stop at nothing to get what she wants..."_

"_Be careful with her smile..."_

"_She is a devil in disguise."_

* * *

A/N: My friend's in a band which is similar to K-on: the bass and guitar player are the vocalists of the band. They have no problems so far, and I personally like how someone sings and plays guitar at the same time. Aoi's position as the lead vocalist might be unacceptable for some, but let's just say her true role is as some kind of "catalyst"...if you know what I mean.

Not sure if they will ever perform with the new line-up in the fic though...

Yoko Hikasa sings so well she makes my brain fluids boiled dry.

Next stop! Chapter 3 = Mitsu chapter!


	3. Chapter 3: The One and Only

A/N: Will contain fluff, although not in a dreadful level (depending on your definition of..."dreadful")

Thanks for the reviews everyone!!! I really appreciate it! ^^

Please enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 3: The One and Only

The first time Mio saw Ritsu lost control of herself and went ballistic was back when they were still in junior high. At that time, Mio had a crush who was also her very first love: a boy named Ogawa. Although she never knew whether it was really love she felt or not, back then she really liked his boyish charm and enthusiasm.

She could remember how Ritsu promised to keep it a secret between themselves. She could remember Ritsu's silly (and bitchy) remarks when they were trying as hard as they could to help Mio attract that older boy's attention ("What do you MEAN your skirt looks best when it's green?!", "I wouldn't bet on it. If you dress like that, he might think you're an alien, or so much the worse, he would puke on you. Please don't hit me.", "You can bet your bottom dollar that he'll think you're one of the bevy of beauties on those fashion magazines! Or at least you look like one.")

Sometimes, Ritsu's suggestions could be so absurd and stupid that Mio wondered why she even considered taking them on board. Sometimes they also made mistakes and got into trouble, like how Ritsu bludgeoned the boy's best friend to help them till she was blue in the face and almost got in a fight, and how they got lost when they were searching for the boy's favorite restaurant and ended up in urban blight instead. However, they kept believing that it was all for the best.

It was also the first time Mio realized how grateful she was to have Ritsu as her best friend. She tried her best to keep her company, to understand her, and help her reach her happiness, although she once worried that when Mio had a boyfriend, their friendship wouldn't be the same anymore.

"But I don't care about that anymore," she told her, "If you're happy, then I'm happy! And it's all that matters..."

Mio knew those words were sincere. And it somehow made her happier beyond her daydreams about the time she could spend with her boyfriend-to-be one day.

Only that there was never a boyfriend-to-be.

On the day she and Ritsu had planned for her to confess to Ogawa, Mio was bewildered when she discovered that she had liked a mean, selfish high schooler who treated girls like a plaything.

Ritsu soon arrived there, eager to watch Mio's confession. However, Mio came running to her and cried her eyes out on her shoulder, making her uniform wet with tears...

When Ritsu saw the boy laughing at them, she was beside herself with rage. She could be extremely violent when angered, and before long, the boy had to suffer powerful fists from the hands that had been trained to beat the drums strongly for years. She was given a lot of punishment from school because of it, and when Mio came to her to apologize, Ritsu only said to her, "Sorry."

"For what?"

"For totally failing to make you happy."

* * *

"Can you tell me what's wrong with you today?" Ritsu asked wearily.

"No," Yui answered as she stuffed more sweets into her mouth.

"Hey, that's mine!" Ritsu turned to Yui in complete shock.

"I bring more," Mugi mentioned, putting more sweets on Ritsu's plate.

"Hey, you guys..." Sawako suddenly said.

"Eh?" Yui and Ritsu stopped wrestling when Sawako attracted their attention.

"Which do you think suits Aoi more, bunny girl or miko?" she asked cheerfully.

After a few seconds of silence, Mugi raised her hand and said, "Uhm... I choose miko."

When the door opened a few minutes later, Aoi found herself knocked to the ground and directly stripped off her clothes before she could even recognize her attacker.

* * *

When Mio arrived home, she ran into her room and swiftly stuffed Aoi's present into her school bag. Without changing her uniform, she hurried back to the front door.

'Yosh...I can still make it...' she thought as she looked at the clock on her cell phone.

She was about to put on her shoes again and dashed out of the front door when a loud, solemn voice suddenly called her from behind, almost making her slip in surprise, "Mio! Where do you think you're going?"

A beautiful long-haired woman blew in from the kitchen with an angry glare on her face.

"Mom, I..." Mio said, attempting to stay calm.

"Did you forget you promised to visit your grandfather today for me?" her mother said with arms akimbo.

"Uh... yes, I did,"she replied casually.

Her mother paid no attention to the slight reluctance in her voice. "Then go now...and give this to him," she handed a small package to her.

Mio almost pouted to her. "But, Mom..." she said, "Can't I just go there tomorrow?"

"Can you give me a bona fide and important enough reason for that?" she asked, rolling her eyes, "And please be brief."

Mio considered whether she should try to bluff her way through this, but when she looked at her mother's expression, she knew it was like getting blood out from a stone.

"No," she said hastily, "But if I go there, it'll be night time when I..."

"Mio, don't be so cold to your grandfather," her mother broke in, "You're his only grandchild and he hasn't seen you for so long."

Mio sighed and wondered why she was such a good girl that she was always in her family's good books. Maybe sometimes she should just imitate Ritsu, who got kicked out of her grandfather's house because she had broken her great-great-great-great-grandmother's ancient gohei while attempting to use it as a drumstick as an act of sheer bravado, or just simple idiocy, when she was eleven...

...But on second thought, maybe not. "Okay, okay, I'll go..." she finally said.

'Only grandchild, huh...'she thought.

"Mom..." she said, gazing over at her mother.

"What is it?" her mom asked briskly, wondering what kind of excuse Mio would come up with this time.

However, it was a question which came out of Mio's mouth. "You want a grandchild, too, one day, don't you?"

Mio's mother didn't say anything for a while.

"Why are you suddenly asking this?"

"Well..." she began, "One of my friends seems to be, what do you call it...a little...wrong. She seems to like..."

"She likes a girl?" she said, raising her eyebrows.

Mio was surprised that her mother could guess it right.

"Kind of..." Mio said, "How do you know...?"

Her mother didn't show much hints of surprise. "Well, those things happen in an all-girls school."

"But if she likes a girl, she won't be able to have a child, right?" Mio said, trying not to sound stupid.

"But it's her choice and there's nothing you can do about it," her mother explained, "Don't alienate her."

"No, I won't," she said, giving her a little smile.

"But Mio, if you end up liking a girl, I won't be really surprised," she told her.

"Eh?!" Mio was completely shocked this time. Her mom's expression was the complete opposite, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Well now you know why you're my father's only grandchild," she said, "It's in your genes, darling."

* * *

The station was not too far from her grandfather's small house. She would have gone to that place with ease…if there hadn't been a break in the weather, that is.

The sky was completely covered by a blanket of grayish cloud when Mio finally headed to the station. It was raining cats and dogs and she accepted her grandfather's offer to lend his umbrella, but she refused when he offered her his boots. She wasn't even sure the umbrella was useful in such terrible weather.

Mio looked up at the sky. She couldn't see a break in the clouds as rain drops continued to fall endlessly from the sky. Running in this weather would surely cause a severe bout of flu later on.

Time to brave the elements. She braced herself against the wind, and then started to run.

As her whole body and face became soaked in the rainstorm, she thought about the stories she had heard from her grandfather.

"So...I have an aunt?"

"Yes, but when she was about your age, she ran away from home and we never see her ever again," he said. There was a hint of loneliness and regret in his voice.

"She ran..." Mio swallowed, "Because she loves a girl?"

"Because I couldn't tolerate it at all back then," he said, "We always thought she was the black sheep of the family. Nobody wants to bring out the topic about her anymore, we find her disgraceful. She and I had a big fight, and then off she went... We never know what happened to her after that."

Mio bowed her head and said, "...So it is wrong after all."

"Wrong? I, too, used to see everything in black and white," her grandfather explained, "Until we found her diary under her pillow, after she had gone. From your mother's explanation and the diary, I know that the girl's love was genuine and she really held it dearly, despite all the terrible things that people have said to her."

"...Was...genuine...?" she said quietly.

"...I regret everything that has happened..." he said, "...Because I have made her suffer. And God still made her suffer even more. Two days after she ran away from home, we found out that the girl whom she had sacrificed everything for, had died in a car accident."

She was already out of breath when she arrived at the station entrance. Closing her umbrella as she ran, she dashed into the station, bought a ticket for herself, and finally stepped into the station platform.

'It's already this late...' Mio thought, 'They're probably about to go home already...'

But Aoi's present was still in her bag...

She didn't feel like waiting in the middle of the crowd, she walked to the far corner where there was no people around and sat on an empty bench.

Her uniform was drenched with sweat and rain, and she somehow felt a little dizzy. She remembered her grandfather said that she looked pale just now. She felt her breathing became heavier although she had stopped running. Her sight slowly became blurry.

'...Maybe I should give up this idea...' she thought as she pulled out her cell phone, '...I should tell Fujii...'

Then she remembered she didn't know Aoi's number.

'...Then maybe I should call Azusa or...'

Her sweaty thumb slipped when she was looking through her contact list and she accidentally ended up on Ritsu's contact number.

Her finger stopped moving and she stared silently at the number, although she had no intention at all to do so.

'She might be...'she thought, '...Having fun with the best of them...'

'With Fujii...' the thought suddenly flashed like a painful needle which stabbed her already aching head.

She wondered why she even thought of it. She wondered why she had been thinking of a lot of things like that lately despite the pain. Was it the real reason why she was determined to reach her destination, no matter what…?

"What am I thinking?" she shook her head as she wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead.

"Will you tell us?"

The voice shocked her and made her immediately look up. She was astounded when she realized there were three young men in front of her, none of them certainly looked nice. They must have approached her when she was busily looking at her phone.

"Hey, girl, you seem lonely, wanna go with us?"

Mio knew the offer was at bottom self-centered. She bit back all the bad things she really wanted to say and answered, "No thanks."

"C'mon. You won't regret spending time with us."

Even she boggled at the idea.

"Hey, Daiki, you have to flatter her better than that. You've bounced back after hitting the bottle, haven't you? Use your charms and she'll soon bob her head up and down."

They laughed as they were getting closer and closer to Mio.

'This is getting frightening...' she thought.

She was sitting quite far from the other people at the platform and nobody seemed to notice her in trouble. She was already too tired and weak to scream and her voice would never reach them.

"This chick's beautiful."

"And she's hot, too," the tallest guy said as he licked his lips.

He was so tall that Mio had to raise her head to see his face clearly, and she could see a terrifying hungry look in his eyes.

Her heart was beating so fast and she really wanted to run, but she knew she was already cornered. Her hand, which was still holding her cell phone, started to tremble. She tried her best to no let her fear show through, she kept her expression calm and rigid, but her head was throbbing even more painfully than before.

"Come with us..." he said dangerously, "...It's no use calling someone."

His words made Mio glanced at Ritsu's phone number on her cell phone screen as she was getting more and more desperate.

'Ritsu...'

She was alone, all alone.

"You have nowhere to run now...." he said, rubbing his chin contentedly.

Her heart was beating like mad and she was silently crying out for help.

"You have to accompany us 'till morning..."

All of a sudden, he forcefully grabbed her arm.

'Ri...!' She shut her eyes hopelessly as she pushed the call button on her cell phone.

One of the guys seemed to notice it and pointed out, "She's calling someone..."

"Take her phone."

However, before they could do it, the four of them heard a distinct ringtone blaring loudly nearby just after Mio pushed the button on her phone.

A ringtone only one of them recognized.

Ritsu's ringtone.

Mio almost couldn't believe her ears.

She slowly opened her eyes and saw the hot-blooded drummer standing next to them, grabbing the guy's wrist with a furious look on her eyes. It was the same look Mio witnessed when Ritsu beat Ogawa unconscious.

"Go. away. " she tightened her grip on his wrist.

The guy looked as surprised as Mio when he saw Ritsu and he let go of Mio's arm.

"You are..." he bellowed, "The bitch with drumsticks from last time!"

"You remember me? That's big of you," she said, glaring at him angrily.

"I'm gonna kill you for what you did to me," he said dramatically. Even Mio could notice how bloodthirsty he was from his tone of voice. He towered over them, his fierce, menacing eyes bored into the two girls.

"You're not gonna run this time," the other said.

"We will have fun with the both of you," the third guy said, rubbing his hands compulsively.

"Ritsu..." Mio started to panic, but before long, someone shouted at them, "What are you guys doing there?!"

The shout almost made the five of them jump in surprise, especially the guys. "Drat! It's the cops!"

"Let's get outta here!"

All three of them made a break for it and Ritsu quickly pulled Mio's hand and ran away from that place.

They stopped running once they had reached the station entrance. Outside, the rain had finally stopped and there were less people bustling at the entrance. Ritsu finally let go of her hand and said, "...That was close."

Mio looked back over her shoulder. It seemed that they finally got rid of those guys. "You called the cops...?" Mio asked.

"Yeah... I called them when I saw you," she said, "But they're going too far so I..."

She somehow didn't finish her sentence...but Mio understood.

"Where are the others?" Mio asked again.

"Others?" Ritsu said, gazing at her.

Mio looked around the entrance, searching for her friends, "Yeah, Yui, Mugi, and..."

"Oh, they're probably still at Bogus Cafe,"she said quietly.

Mio blinked. "Then why're you...here?"

Ritsu said nothing for awhile. "I was waiting for you," she replied.

"What?" Mio said, shooting her a sidelong glance.

"I was waiting for you..." she paused for a while, "'Cause I was worried if those jerks would show up and get you."

She blushed and turned her head away. "And you're taking so long!" she finished.

Mio found her expression cute. That thought soon made her embarrassed herself, and she silently cursed her brain for it.

"Why didn't you call me?" Mio asked.

Ritsu said nothing.

"Ritsu...?"

"...I..." she said, "...Apologize...For being an idiot..."

She said it without without looking at her, but Mio knew what she meant. Mio smiled at her and said, "...A total idiot."

"You will always be the most irreplaceable singer," she said, "For this idiot."

It was amazing how Ritsu's words make her heart brim over with happiness. She wanted to cry in relief with Ritsu by her side, and deep in her heart, it was everything she really wanted.

"I recruited Aoi...so that you don't have to work as hard as before..."

Mio knew her real intention was simply to add more members in the club. However, she appreciated how she had brought herself to wait for her and cheer her up, so she said to her, "Unexpectedly, you can be really sweet sometimes..."

Ritsu blushed furiously and said, "Shut up."

They fell silent for awhile.

Mio looked at the cloudy sky and words slipped from her mouth, "...You met her here."

Ritsu looked at her and raised her eyebrows. "Who?"

She hesitated for a while. "Aoi Fujii."

"Oh..."she said, "...She was not as cornered as you back then."

Mio stayed silent.

"And she wasn't calling my cell phone when I saved her, either."

Mio nudged her shoulder and she laughed.

"Thank you for saving me," Mio said.

Ritsu nodded silently.

"You know, I think Fujii's right. You can act like a prince sometimes..." Mio said to her.

"What did you just say? You don't remember you've already had your own dedicated fangirls?" she snickered.

"S-Shut up!"

Ritsu chuckled and slowly turned her head toward Mio. Their eyes met and she stopped moving as she looked into Mio's eyes. Mio almost gasped when she realized how close those amber eyes were to her.

"I'm always beating up guys for you, aren't I...?" Ritsu said calmly.

'Too...'

She could see her reflection in her eyes, and for some reason her thoughts started wandering wildly.

'...Close...'

"I think...so,"she almost stuttered. She couldn't stop herself from looking deep into Ritsu's eyes, as if they were luring her, and she had no power to resist.

'There are people...'

"Don't you know you're always giving me a headache," Ritsu continued, slowly, "Because guys and girls are all over you...?"

'...Around us...'

"I..." Mio said.

"Mio..." she whispered.

Those eyes immobilized her whole body. Her mind was racing and her heart was beating even faster than when she was almost captured back then.

She was very short of breath. She shut her eyes as she felt Ritsu getting closer, and it somehow frightened her. However, deep in her heart, her deepest desire she had yet to realize, she really wished that she would move one step closer and they would...

"...Just as I thought, you're boiling hot."

Mio felt a hand gently touching her forehead. She quickly opened her eyes. Ritsu looked worried as she examined her face, her other hand wiping the sweat from Mio's cheek.

"No wonder you were acting weird just now," she said, "...And you're soaking wet, too."

"Oh," Mio said, her heart was still beating fast, "Just now I..."

'Just now we were in the brink of…'

"I can guess the big picture," Ritsu interrupted, "You're sick and you ran all the way in the storm! You're insane!"

"No, I'm not..." Mio said, but she knew her heavy breathing and pale face could be seen even clearly now that she was relieved to be safe with Ritsu.

"Don't lie. I wasn't born yesterday, you know," she said, scowling at her, "And you're terrible at lying."

"Like you're not," she bleated feebly.

"Who's the idiot now...?" Ritsu grabbed Mio's bag and took it away from her.

"Hey, give it back!" she exclaimed.

"I'll carry it until we arrive," she said, her eyes peering at Mio, "At your home."

"You don't need to act so princely and carry it all the way!" she said stubbornly.

"What the hell 'princely'?" she grumbled, "Princes don't carry someone else's bag like a servant!"

"Sure they do, if they want to. For a princess, for example."

Ritsu snorted and slung Mio's bag over her shoulder.

"But only for one princess," she said shortly before walking away.

* * *

A/N: The only family members of the girls who have ever been shown are Ui, Satoshi, and Yui's parents, am I correct? Can't remember if Mio's family has ever been mentioned anywhere in the manga or the anime, or even whether she's an only child or not... but yeah, I made it that way, so… O__O;

And somehow, I feel Mugi is an only child too.


	4. Chapter 4: The Sacrifice

Chapter 4: The Sacrifice

"I see...that's too bad. I hope Mio-chan will get well soon. See you tomorrow..."

Mugi pushed a button on her cell phone and ended the call.

"What happened to Mio-chan?" Yui asked with a worried look on her face.

"Looks like she has a fever..." Mugi explained, "It seems that they can't make it to here."

The K-on club members minus Mio and Ritsu were sitting at a table on the second floor of Bogus Cafe. Yui, who was sitting next to Azusa, was bolting her fourth cup of pudding. Azusa and Aoi were finishing their chocolate-flavored ice cream as they listened curiously to Mugi.

"Too bad. Ricchan seems really want to visit this place."

"I wonder why she does. The food's here so expensive that almost nothing's left from my allowance this month," Azusa said with a confused expression.

"You only have yourself to blame after eating so much ice cream," Aoi pointed out.

"Well..." Azusa blushed, "I can't stop myself."

"Yeah! Everything's here so delicious!" Yui said, pointing to her pudding.

"It's a shame Sawako-sensei can't come," Aoi said with a shrug.

"Don't act as if you were blameless. When you kicked her cell phone until it flew out of the window, it broke into pieces and Sawako-sensei snapped," Azusa said to her.

"It was an accident! Can you see where your foot's going when you are being raped!"

"Poor Sawa-chan..." Yui said, "And it's a shame Mio-chan and Ricchan can't come, either."

The others said nothing for awhile as they continued eating and drinking.

"...Mio-sempai and Ritsu-sempai..."Aoi suddenly said.

"Eh?" the other three girls looked at her questioningly.

"...They are so close, aren't they?" she said in a curious tone.

"Well, they've been best friends since they were little, right, Mugi-chan?" Yui said, putting a spoonful of pudding into her mouth.

"But they fight a lot," Mugi added with a chuckle.

"They're making love?"

The others were speechless for a few seconds.

"Uhm...I must have heard it wrong. What is it again?"

"Making love," Aoi repeated.

"What does that mean?" Yui asked innocently.

"Uhm...you must mean it wrong..."

"Do you mean...like, dating?" Mugi asked.

"No, it's not like..." Aoi thought for awhile, "Uhm, yeah, maybe something like that..."

"Aoi-chan, dating is NOT making love...."

"They are two greatly, extremely different things," Azusa said, "You almost completely freaked me out just now."

Azusa didn't want to think about how Aoi learnt her absurd vocabularies...and from Ritsu nonetheless.

"Azu-nyan, what's making love?" Yui asked, tugging her blazer.

"Mugi-sempai, help me..."

"It means making cookies together."

"That sounds fun!"

Azusa wished they would just get over with this topic.

"Azu-nyan, let's make love!"

"What the hell are you talking about!"

"You don't want to make love with me?"

"Your voice's too loud!"

"Azu-nyaaan...."

Yui received a good slap half a second later.

* * *

A few minutes later, Azusa walked blearily out of the cafe alongside her fellow club members, hoping that Yui would just stop clinging at her and leave her alone.

"Azu-nyaan..."

"Yui-sempai, you're heavy!" Azusa protested, slipping away from her hug.

Yui grinned in amusement. "Aah, that was great!" Yui exclaimed, throwing her arms over her head, "Too bad Sawa-chan, Mio-chan, and Ricchan can't come."

"Hmm..." Aoi looked lost in thought.

"I wonder what they are doing..." Yui said, "And, oh yeah, Ao-chan, why did you ask about them all of a sudden just now?"

The question jolted her out of her musings. "Eh? Uhm, I..."

"Yes, yes, why did you ask?" Mugi said enthusiastically.

"Eep! You're too close!" she gasped.

Aoi said nothing for a while. "Ao-chan...?" Yui looked at her curiously.

"What do you guys think..." she said, "When a girl says she falls for another girl...?"

Azusa's eyes widened. Yui, on the other hand, looked obviously clueless.

"I think it's completely okay," Mugi replied happily.

Azusa almost fell anime-style.

"Then..." Aoi looked slightly embarrassed, "Can you guys...help me?"

"Help you..." Azusa blurted out, "...With what?"

"This might sound...really strange," she said nervously, "But it's...about Ritsu-sempai. I think...I've fallen in love with her."

* * *

A few days had passed since Aoi made her sudden confession in front of Yui, Mugi, and Azusa. Mugi was absolutely delighted with this and she was more than willing to help, while Yui, being Yui, never took it really seriously from the start. Azusa, on the other hand, informed the only left K-on member as soon as she got home from the cafe.

"I see," Mio said calmly over the phone, "So she really does have a crush on her, huh?"

"Eh?" Azusa was quite surprised with Mio's reaction, "You've already known about this?"

"Well, she makes it kind of obvious..." Mio said quickly, "How's Mugi doing?"

"Do you really need to ask...?"

When Aoi had her first practice session with the K-on club members, they immediately knew that she was born to be a singer, just like when Azusa first performed her guitar skills in the club room. When they asked her how she practiced her singing, she only said she was born and bred in her father's nightclub – whatever that meant.

They also discovered that Aoi had a remarkable talent in betting and gambling. Sawako and Ritsu soon grew fond of challenging her in a bet, although she had an extreme, obviously long-trained intuition and sixth sense for gambling. So far, she could guess right the color of Mio's underwear, the title of Mugi's favorite anime, Azusa's favorite snack, what outfit Ritsu thought suits Mio the best, what instrument Yui played before she joined K-on, and how old Sawako was when she bowed out of heavy metal.

It was also the first time the girls felt awkward being in the same room with a person who declared to have a crush on their club leader. The only five people (add Sawako, because she was sharp enough to notice in just two days after Aoi joined) who knew about Aoi's romantic feelings toward Ritsu sometimes bickered about it in the middle of practice sessions when Ritsu was not listening, and voluntary work, such as leaving them alone in the clubroom or bouncing ideas for Aoi to spend more time with Ritsu, soon became common practice between them.

It also seemed that Aoi was able to adapt with the bizarre norms and habits of the club much more quickly than Azusa, probably because she was used to moving from one country to another because of her father's work. Everyone, including Mio, soon got used to having the new sixth member in the clubroom, but there was always one person who didn't seem to accept how things were at the moment.

That person was Azusa Nakano.

"Mio-sempai, I want to talk."

"Eh...?" Mio was about to eat from her bowl of rice with her chopsticks when Azusa suddenly blew in to her classroom. "Er...Azusa, Ritsu and the others are at the cafeteria buying the new menu potato mint salad, so maybe you should wait until..."

"That's why I came. I want to talk to you." She looked quite serious, "Mio-sempai, are you sure you're okay with all this?"

"With all what?" she said, raising her eyebrows.

"Aoi. She's taken your position as the lead vocalist, and you're even willing to help her get closer to Ritsu-sempai," she said, looking at her straight in the eye.

Mio looked confused. "But, Azusa, you're the one who said she is nice and that I was thinking too much, aren't you?" she said, "Besides, everyone is supporting her, and she's a really good singer, too, everyone has admitted it. Why all of a sudden...?"

"You can't be bothered to make her closer with Ritsu-sempai!" she said. Mio felt a little flip-flop in her stomach. "I know, when yesterday Ritsu-sempai said you were botching the rhythm with your playing, I know there's something bothering you the past few days."

"Oh," was all Mio said to her. Azusa had always been admiring her attitude and her bass playing skills, so it was not a surprise that she noticed. And ANYBODY would notice when she was the one who messed up the rhythm and not Ritsu.

"And the only thing that changed the past few days was A..."

"Azusa, there is nothing to worry about," Mio smiled at her, "You're not wrong at all, Aoi's a really good girl. I've been teaching her guitar lately and she's such a nice and obedient student, and... we talked about a lot of things... and... about that idiot, too."

She could remember the first time she asked Aoi about...

"...what's so good about that...born loser?"

Aoi threw her a confused glance as she looked up from her guitar. "Sempai, I thought you understand more than me," she said, focusing back to her guitar before trying the new chords Mio had shown her.

"Eh? Why should I...?" she said, looking at her.

Aoi returned her look with a sweet smile. "Well, you know her longer than I do..."

"That's why I ask you. Despite that, I still don't understand at all," Mio said, letting out a sigh.

Aoi said nothing for a while. "When I first met Ritsu-sempai, I was very thankful of her," she began, "It was then I realized we attended the same school, and when my friend showed me a photo of her performing with you guys on stage, I was totally captivated by her."

Mio stared at her. "That friend is..."

"Azusa, whom I met a few days prior to the incident," she explained, "I met her again, and she recognized me. We became much closer after that, and after some time, I realized I like everything about her: her smile, her kindness, her enthusiasm, her naughtiness, her light-hearted nature. I can't stop thinking about her. It's like my whole life suddenly becomes bound up with hers after I fell in love with her."

Mio listened to her explanation in amazement. She had never seen Aoi's expression like that before.

"I don't care if people think my feelings are strange," she said with vague pride in her voice, "Because those feelings have gone too far and now, I just can't stop loving her."

"Have you ever fallen in love..." Mio whispered, "...before?"

"Well..." she replied, "Never this deep."

Some people found love between girls intolerable and disgraceful, just like how her grandfather treated her aunt until she ran away from home. However, it was just like what her grandfather said, that love was as genuine and pure as any other, the kind of love that would sacrifice anything in that person's life for the sake of the one she loved.

She was a fool...to even think it was right or wrong.

"No, you're not. It's totally okay if you think that it's wrong," Aoi said.

"It's not okay," she said, "I...understand now. You are..."

Aoi was just like any other girl. Finding her soulmate, falling in love, and trying her best so that they could become lovers.

"But somehow I don't think that idiot deserves your feelings," Mio said.

"She cares for me, and that's more than enough," she said breathlessly.

"You really are lovesick." Aoi only responded with a laugh.

* * *

There was always a time in the year when almost all students in one class just wished to break free from the mountains of assignments and exams, while teachers praised their students' hard work and in the same breath said that it was a wonder why their scores were still simply too horrible for words.

For Mio, it was not exactly a big deal since she breezed through the tests and always became one of the brightest pupils in class. For Mugi, it was not a problem she needed to fuss about because she was smart and diligent. For Yui and Ritsu... well, it was another story.

"I'm beat..." Ritsu said as she slumped down in her chair, and put her head on the table hopelessly. In front of her, Yui mirrored her movements, with perfect timing and style.

"Is it really that hard...?" Azusa asked sympathetically.

"No, no, Azusa, if you encourage them, that'll make their laziness much worse..." Mio said, glancing over her shoulder to the two girls as she picked up her bass.

"Give me a break!" Ritsu said loudly, "We have to study AND practice at the same time! I'm dying!"

"None of them can kill you," Mio said flatly.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm not as clever as you, Miss Smarty-Pantsu."

Sometimes Mio wondered if Ritsu was a masochist.

* * *

After a few minutes of practice, Ritsu suddenly slumped behind her drum set and groaned, "I don't wanna practice anymore…my head hurts…"

"Do you want me to hit you again until you bleed and die…?" Mio asked, preparing her fist.

"Mio-sempai seems to be very angry today…" Azusa pointed out.

"Must be her period," Aoi responded.

"Don't say that kind of thing with such a straight face," Azusa said to her.

On the other hand, Ritsu seemed to be angrier than usual today, too. "So what if I don't want to practice? You're the one who hurt my head!"

"Stop acting like a childish spoiled brat! Are you the club president or not?!"

Aoi watched closely as the two girls were arguing. When Azusa threw a glance at her, she almost swore she could see jealousy flickering in her eyes. She suddenly stood up from her seat and approached Ritsu and Mio.

'Uh-oh…' Azusa thought.

Totally annoyed, Ritsu started to yell, "Mio, you're such a…!"

"Ritsu-sempai, I think we should start and practice," Aoi broke in.

"Aoi…" Mio said, feeling slightly grateful.

"Ugh... Can't we just," Ritsu said with a scowl, "Take a five minute breather…?"

"No," Aoi smiled at her, and there was a threatening tone in her voice. "If we do, we'll just drink tea, eat cakes, and forget about everything else. Let's start again."

"Ao-chan is surprisingly strict…" Mugi commented.

"She kinda suits you, right, Azu-nyan…?" Yui asked.

"I don't think she said it because she WANTS to practice…" Azusa said, sighing.

Ritsu didn't seem to give up that easily. "Oh, c'mon…" she grumbled.

"Then how about this…?" Aoi said, her cheeks flushing with excitement, "Let's make a bet."

"A bet…?"

"Ao-chan is challenging for another bet!" Yui said, brimful of energy.

"If I win, you have to practice again this instant. If I lose, you can do whatever you want," she said, winking at Mio.

"Hey, Aoi…!" Mio said with wide eyes.

"Not again…"

Ritsu looked excited as she spoke to her, "Interesting! What'll it be?"

"If I can make you shout in one minute, I win," she said clearly.

"Oh, try it if you can. Nothing in this world can scare me, you know."

But Aoi moved really fast, she threw her arms around Ritsu's neck and kissed her left cheek. Everyone in the room was stunned with the sudden scene. Azusa gaped. Mugi's eyes were shining. Mio's mind went blank.

"Whoa! What the hell?!?" Ritsu exclaimed and jumped away from Aoi, blushing a few shades of red.

"Japanese culture is really weird. People can freak out with just one kiss on the cheek…" she said, straightening her head.

"Oh, how lucky I am to be here," Mugi said gleefully.

"...Mio-chan…?" Yui called, "Mio-chan?… Hey, Mio-chan…" She waved her hand up and down in front of Mio's face.

"Mio-sempai, come back to your senses!" Azusa shook Mio's shoulder.

Azusa looked up and saw Aoi throwing a cold glare toward Mio. A cold glare full of jealousy and hatred.

When their eyes met, Azusa could almost feel the killing intent radiating from that icy sharp glare, so much that she could read from her face, 'You will die alongside her someday.'

* * *

When the practice was finally over, Mugi was the first to say farewell and go home. Sawako and Yui soon followed suit, dragging a reluctant Azusa with them. It had become a usual practice between them, so that Ritsu and Aoi could spend more time on their own. Noticing everyone's cue, Mio, too, was preparing to go home. When she was about to open the door, Ritsu called out to her, "Mio!"

Mio gazed at her.

"Uhm…" Ritsu rubbed her head, "Don't you want to go with us to the café?"

Sensing a hint of loneliness in her voice, Mio felt a tinge of pain in her chest. Since everyone around her seemed to support Aoi, before she knew it, she had gone with the flow and had been doing what everyone else had: trying to help Aoi by bringing the two of them together.

She had been making a distance between herself and Ritsu for some time now, and Ritsu could never learn to accept it. Little did she know, that every effort she made to be with Mio was slicing Mio's heart bit by bit, as she struggled to stop herself from saying "yes" to her every offer.

And it was even more difficult than ever this time.

Aoi kissing Ritsu right in front of her reminded her so much of her own memory of Ritsu almost kissing herself at the station.

"Hey, Mio?" Ritsu called again.

_"Mio…"_ the scene of Ritsu's face approaching hers flashed inside her mind for the umpteenth time.

Mio could feel Ritsu's and Aoi's eyes on her.

'C'mon, Mio, say no…' she told herself.

"Mio-sempai, what's wrong?" Aoi asked, cocking her head to one side.

'This isn't like you…just say no…as usual…' she wailed inwardly.

"Mio, I've wanted to say this to you. Actually, I…"

Her mind finally got the best of her and she broke in, "No, Ritsu, I got a lot of things to do today," she opened the door and smiled, "You guys have fun."

She gave them a little smile and, without looking at them, began to walk away from the clubroom.

* * *

"Ah, Mio-chan!" Yui piped up.

Mio felt slightly surprised when she saw Yui and Azusa waiting for her downstairs.

"You guys..." Mio said, "What's wrong?"

"Wanna go with us to the music shop?" Yui asked cheerfully.

Mio walked down the stairs and said, "Sure, why not?"

"It's been a long time since we went there," Azusa said excitedly.

"Yeah, Azu-nyan, do you know? I first saw Gitah in that shop," she recalled with a grin.

"And you chose it without second thought? That is so like you," Azusa said, smiling at her.

"Ehehe...but I like that shop alot," Yui said, "Remember when we first went there with you to fix Gitah?"

Mio suddenly stopped walking.

Azusa noticed this and said, "Mio-sempai...?"

Yui scuttled over to Mio and said curiously, "Mio-chan? What's...?"

"On a...second thought," she said, "Sorry, I think I'd better go home now..."

"Eh? Sempai?" Azusa said, blinking her eyes.

Mio smiled and said, "I just don't feel like it..."

"Why?" Azusa's voice became slightly stronger, "Is it Ritsu-sempai...?"

"Eh?" Mio said in a surprised tone, "Who said this is about Ritsu...?"

"Are you jealous of Ricchan and Aoi-chan...?" Yui asked out of the blue.

"No, what're you guys talking about?" Mio said impatiently, "Aoi's having a crush on Ritsu and we're all supporting her. So what? It's not that I'm jealous or anything. That idiot Ritsu always annoys me and teases me all the time so it's a good thing Aoi's making her forget about me for awhile. I don't care if they become a cou-"

"Mio-chan," Yui broke in, "It's been really hard for you, isn't it?"

She couldn't say anything else.

Azusa felt a surge of pity when she noticed that Mio's hands were shaking. Yui smiled warmly at Mio, and for her, it was the most tranquilizing thing she had seen in a few days, the thing she needed the most at that moment.

Yui opened her arms. She stood on her tiptoes and pulled Mio into a gentle hug.

"There, there," she said, patting her head softly, "Mio-chan is a good girl."

She felt that pain again.

Her eyes almost brimmed with tears.

"A really strong and good girl," Yui whispered, "We're proud of you."

It was as if the dam which held all the feelings she had bottled up the last few days finally burst under the weight of her emotions.

Mio buried her head weakly in her shoulder, as Yui continued to whisper words of consolation to her.

It was a painful sight for Azusa.

However, apparently she was not the only one who witnessed Yui comforting Mio. Holding on to the banisters of the stairs, Ritsu was gazing silently at the scene below her, not knowing what to say. Aoi stood next to her. They didn't hear what Mio said before Yui hugged her, and Ritsu was left clueless and sad, as Aoi noticed from her eyes.

"Sempai..." Aoi said in a low voice, "Why don't you do anything?"

Ritsu kept silent. "Why don't you run down to them...?" Aoi asked.

"I..." Ritsu said, putting her palm on her face, "She...I...she won't tell me...anything."

She hid her face from Aoi's view. "Although I know...something's bothering her...although I have...tried as best as I could..."she continued, "She won't tell me anything..."

"Sempai..." Aoi said, clutching the banister.

"As if..." she said, bowing her head, "...We cannot...share our secrets anymore..."

The hint of sadness in her voice was so evident that Aoi could feel that she was suffering much pain.

"...She is able to hurt you this much, isn't she...?" Aoi said.

"No, that's not the way it is," Ritsu said, "I don't care if she won't tell me. I won't give up. I will find out for sure!"

The determination in her eyes made it clear for Aoi. Ritsu was, had always been, unreachable.

"Why...?" Aoi said, her voice shaking, "Why is it always about her...?"

"Aoi...?" Ritsu looked at her.

Aoi pulled the sleeve of her arm and said, "Sempai...please...make one more bet with me..."

"Eh...?"Ritsu said, slightly surprised.

"If I win..." she said with a solemn look on her face, "You have to do what I ask you to."

Ritsu could see anger and envy blaring in her eyes. Her grip on her arm was so strong that Ritsu almost gasped in pain. She noticed there was something threatening, yet sad, in her way of talking. Slowly, as if she was in a daze, Ritsu touched her small shaking hand, and accepted.

* * *

"_Guys, have you heard?? Fujii from next class is going to release __a single!"_

"_Really?? That's so cool! We're going to be in the same school with an idol??"_

"_I doubt she'll be successful."_

"_At least she's gonna be famous around here for awhile."_

"_Maybe that's why the contest will be held."_

"_Contest? What contest?"_

"_It's still a rumor, but it seems that there's a new popularity contest on the way."_

"_What__?__ Never heard of it before!"_

"_It seems that she's the one __behind it__."_

"_What's it called?"_

"_Let's see...if I didn't hear it wrong..."_

"_The Prince and Princess of Sakuragaoka!"_

* * *

A/N: Now for some news...

The good news is... the next chap will be full of Mitsu. That's definitely a promise.

The bad news is... I'm not sure that I am able to finish it within one month. I've reached the busiest months in my school and my head almost explodes because of the huge amount of work I have to do. I can't promise you, but it might take two to three months until I post the next chap. I really thank everyone for all the support you've given to me... (T___T)

See you next chap...!


	5. Chapter 5: Truths and Lies

A/N: Wah!! I've finally posted this chapter! *bows*

Don't really have anything else to say....uhm, well, I'm still busy as ever...school's crap...and I'm still counting the days to the next K-on episode...heh...

Enjoy the chap, everyone, as promised!

* * *

Chapter 5: Truths and Lies

The first time Ritsu hid something desperately from Mio was in their second year of high school, a few days after the school festival. There was a time when Mio noticed Ritsu spacing out in class or in the music room, or avoiding eye contact with her classmates for unknown reasons. The other girls also noticed this, but whenever they tried to find out what was wrong with her, she never gave them a satisfying response, not even Mio.

Or, to be more precise, especially Mio.

Mio had tried almost everything she could think of to get her to speak, but all she got was more and more distance, and the fact that Ritsu avoided her the most didn't help at all. She then followed her mother's advice to leave her alone for a while, but her curiosity grew as days went by.

Until one day, Mugi offered to try cheering Ritsu up. The others agreed, and they left both of them in the class as they headed straight for the clubroom. However, in the middle of the way Mio suddenly remembered that she had left one of her textbooks in the classroom. Yui pointed out that Mugi and Ritsu might not have finished their conversation, but Mio told her that she would wait if necessary.

"Sorry, I'll be right back in a minute!" she cried and ran back to the classroom.

Unexpectedly, she didn't have to wait long. Just as she was about to raise her hand to open the door, Mugi walked out of the classroom. When she noticed it was Mio who came, she opened the door wider and smiled mysteriously at her.

"Please do," she said. Mio opened her mouth to explain, but Mugi had turned away from her and walked toward the clubroom.

A little bit confused, Mio went into the classroom and was face to face with a slightly flustered Ritsu.

"Wha…" she said, staring at her, "Why are you here?"

"Forgot my book," Mio replied casually.

She examined Ritsu's face for awhile and said, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she responded, turning her face from Mio.

"Your eyes are red," Mio said, almost in disbelief, "Did you just…"

"I said I'm fine!"

"…cry?"

Ritsu completely avoided Mio's eyes this time. After a moment of silence, she said, "I told Mugi nothin."

"Ritsu…" Mio said stubbornly. Now she was sure her problem was something more serious than she thought. "What's wrong?"

There was an uncomfortable silence. "You can always tell me…" Mio said carefully, "…Like usual, you know… I mean…"

"You'll laugh," she said briefly.

Mio blinked. If the problem was so serious that she was acting like this, how could she possibly laugh…?

"C'mon…just take your book and let's go…" Ritsu said, walking away.

"No, I won't," Mio said in a clear voice. Mio gazed at the back of her head and said, "I won't laugh…."

Ritsu stopped walking. "Can you tell me…?" Mio said.

After a moment of silence, she heard Ritsu's small voice, "I…"

"Uhm…" Mio said bemusedly, "Louder?"

"I…someone."

Mio felt more curious that ever. "I can't hear you."

Mio heard an annoyed groan. Ritsu turned to her, her face flushing in embarrassment. She took a deep breath and said the most unexpected thing Mio thought she would ever hear coming out of her mouth.

"…I like someone."

A silence.

Mio blinked a few times, wondering if she really just heard it right. She decided her ears had just made a mistake.

"Err…repeat?"

Ritsu groaned again. "I was stupid to even bother to tell you," she said, stomping away.

"No, wait, I'm sorry!" Mio cried, "It's just…weird…that you can actually like someone …" Ritsu threw her an angry glare "...no! It's not like that! Uhm...but...who...?"

She kept silent for a while. "Can't tell," came the reply.

"Eh...?" Mio said, disappointed, "Why?"

"No reason."

Mio sighed. Probably it was not the right time to force her. "...How is he, then, Ritsu...?" she asked curiously, "...Is he handsome?"

There was a longer silence. Mio was getting uncomfortable with this unusual topic and Ritsu's short replies.

Mio decided to say something that would cheer her up. "Uhm...it's okay if you don't want to tell me, but you know, I will always support you..."

Ritsu gazed at her. There was nothing Mio could read from her expression. "...Very popular," she said after a while, "...Adorable...cool...and smart..."

"...Really? That's quite a high standard..." Mio commented. Ritsu didn't respond.

Mio felt slightly relieved. That guy didn't seem like a bad person at all. Maybe Ritsu finally found a suitable person for her, and although Mio felt uneasy about all this, she knew what a best friend ought to do in times like this...

Mio smiled encouragingly at her and continued, "Do your best, Ritsu! I'm sure he will like you, as long as you don't act like an idi-"

"Will not," she broke in.

"...Eh? Why?" Mio asked, her mind started to race with worries, "Does he have a girlfriend?"

"No..." Ritsu replied, "Nothing of that sort..."

"Well...then you still have a chance, right?" Mio said, wondering what drained her friend's whole confidence away, "I really want to help, but if you don't give me any clue about who he is, there's hardly anything I can do..."

Ritsu opened her mouth, said a few words of which meaning Mio never understood...and left.

They didn't speak about it in the clubroom.

They never brought out the topic ever again.

However, sometimes, when Mio was sitting alone on her bed or simply daydreaming in the classroom, she remembered Ritsu's gentle smile and the tears in her eyes...and she could almost hear her saddeningly painful voice, as if she had been stabbed with a knife which killed her inside...

"_You don't get it...do you?"_

* * *

'Ugh...what a drag...' Mio thought.

It was Saturday and she was stuck at home, her parents were gone, her favorite CD was missing, and her laptop suddenly broke. Could this day get any worse...? After spending hours looking for her CD and trying to get her laptop back to its senses, Mio finally gave up and told herself not to trust branded products anymore.

That day wasn't that bad earlier. Sawako finally announced the results of a dreadful, anyone-with-normal-IQ-would-surely-fail-even-if-hell-froze-over exam and apparently she had received the best score in the whole class (which results in Yui hugging her, Mugi congratulating her, and Ritsu pouting at her). After school, Aoi came to the club with a very surprising news that she had released a single. The sudden announcement made Ritsu and Yui happily tackle her into a group hug.

"Wow, you're an idol now?" Azusa said, her eyes sparkling in amazement.

"That's awesome, Aoi," Mio said, placing her hand on Aoi's shoulder, "How come, when...why don't you tell us..."

She winced a little. "It's embarrassing, but Dad forced me to...so..."

"Ao-chan, awesome!" Yui said, hugging her again.

"It's a very wonderful news!" Mugi said, clapping her hands.

"But that doesn't mean I'll leave you guys..." she explained frantically from beneath Yui's arms, "Playing with you guys is much more fun, and..."

Sawako cocked her head and said, "What do you mean? Of course it's fun, you're playing music with your cru-"

"Waah!"

"Sawa-chan!"

"Shaddup!"

Three palms of hands almost knocked Sawako off her chair as Mugi, Mio, and Aoi made a beeline for Sawako's face. Mio, overcome with panic, threw a glance at Ritsu, who raised her eyebrows and said, "Aoi had a cru...sh...? Here?"

"That would be..."

"Impossible!"

"God, Sensei, say something!"

"Mmff!"

"What crush?"

"Everyone, let's practice!!"

"Wait a-!"

"Yeah, let's go, c'mon, Ritsu!!!"

...And they could get through it somehow. Ritsu looked at them strangely the whole time, but when Yui started to play around with her, she was back to her usual self. The same old dynamic duo. Mio thought everything about Ritsu would be normal for the next few days, and that obviously wasn't a bad thing.

She was about to take a break and eat lunch when the doorbell interrupted her. Cursing under her breath, she left her food and hurried to the front door...only to find a completely unexpected visitor...

"Yo! Nice tank top you're wearing."

Mio sighed. 'Okay...this day DOES get a lot worse...' she thought wearily.

"...Why are you here?" Mio asked, in a slightly threatening tone.

"Tomorrow's Sunday's not reason enough...?" Ritsu said, taking off her shoes.

"I mean, why are you suddenly here without telling me beforehand, and even bringing along your travel bag!"

"At least I came from the front door."

"Yes, I see you've learnt your lesson. If my Dad's apple tree didn't break your fall last Halloween, you would surely be dead by now."

"Is that how you speak to your best friend?" Ritsu said, pretending to look hurt, "Your Dad's not at home, right? Mind if I camp out?"

"Why don't you just camp OUT?" Mio said, letting out a sigh, "And how do you know...? I don't remember telling you."

"Mugi told me," Ritsu said, shrugging, "So I thought that I can stay here for a while."

"Sorry, Ritsu, but unfortunately, I've already got enough problems for the whole..."

"Stop avoiding me, Mio," she interrupted.

Mio was astounded. She didn't expect Ritsu to say such a thing...

However, her serious expression was immediately replaced with a grin.

"So! What'll we gonna play today? I've brought lots of games, y'know!"

"Actually, Ritsu," Mio pointed out, "I was just eat-"

"I bring some really cool ones! You will never get bored playing them over and over again!" she persisted.

"Well..." Mio said, "What are they...?"

"You can choose one that you like: Resident Evil, Silent Hill, or Fatal Frame!"

Whack!

* * *

"And so...that is why my Dad cancelled his plan to open his business here..."

"Just like that? I thought he can use money or others?"

"Dad only said that it couldn't be helped," Aoi grumbled, "Wait and see! One day I'll open a reaaaaally big casino and hotel here, complete with a super luxurious bridal suite!"

"That sounds...great..."

"That's my dream," Aoi said, flushing with pride.

"By the way, I've been wanting to ask you for a while..." she said, "Why are you here...?"

Azusa was just eating in a fast food restaurant near a shopping mall where her parents were, and before she knew it, she had gotten herself a very unlikely company...

"I am looking for Japanese souvenirs," Aoi replied, drinking from her glass of ice tea.

Azusa sighed. "You're Japanese, you're living in a country called Japan, and you're looking for Japanese bric-a-brac...?"

"Technically, I'm not Japanese. Japanese culture is never bred into me, and people outside can only guess I'm half-Asian unless they know my name," she explained, "And let's just say it's simply for my entertainment. It really bummed me that there aren't any casinos here."

"There are other ways here if you just want to gamble, you know," Azusa told her, "There's a pachinko parlor just a few blocks from he-"

"There is?!?" she exclaimed.

'So you like pachinkos, too??' Azusa thought.

"That's great! Come on, Azusa, let's go!" she cried out, jumping to her feet.

"Eh? Go? To the pachinko?" Azusa said in surprise, "But...we're not of legal age!"

"It's never too early to gamble!"

"Don't tell me it's your motto."

"It is!"

"Aoi, stop!!" Azusa instinctively grabbed Aoi's hand, preventing her from running away, "If we go there, we'll seriously get into trouble!"

Azusa couldn't help but wonder how many times Ritsu had let Aoi play in a pachinko parlor.

"But I wanna play!" Aoi said childishly, "Let me go!"

"Oh, no, you won't!" Azusa pulled back.

Soon enough, people at the restaurant were curiously watching her playing a tug-of-war with Aoi.

"Aoi, cut it out!!"

"Let me go! Let me go!"

Azusa lost her patience. "Would you please just sit back DOWN!!"

* * *

"Sooo I came because I thought it's been ages since we last spent our time together..." Ritsu said, her head tilting to the direction taken by the yellow car she controlled on the TV screen.

Mio was sitting next to Ritsu on the sofa, her eyes fixed to the screen as she watched with a bored expression on her face. "Really? I, on the other hand, am already bored of seeing your face, like, every single day..."

Ritsu suddenly paused the game. Mio didn't notice anything wrong with her TV or console, so she said, "Why did you all out of a sudden..."

"Is that why...?" Ritsu said, clenching the joystick.

Mio blinked. She was not sure that Ritsu got her joke.

"Is that why you've been avoiding me all this time...?"

Mio was startled. Ritsu's tone was so serious, and cold... like she had buried what she desired to say for a really long time. She felt awkward, she sensed a bad thing coming, and that meant...she had to say something...

"Rit..."

But Ritsu immediately interrupted her with a loud, painful voice, "Is that why you threw my away?!? Mio!!"

To her great surprise, Mio was pushed down until she lied flat on her back on the sofa, with Ritsu on top of her. The joystick fell with a loud thump on the floor, but neither of them could hear it anymore...

"Ritsu, get off..." Her words were directly followed by a gasp when she was suddenly pulled into a tight hug. It was the closest body contact she had with Ritsu in the past few days. She could feel Ritsu's warm breath on her neck...her heat on her skin...her soft heartbeat on her breasts...

"Mio..." Ritsu said in a near whisper, "Mio, tell me..."

If Ritsu's mouth was any closer to her ear, she was sure she would not be able to restrain her moan.

Something triggered in Mio's mind. For the first time in her life, she felt a horrible, yet perfect, feeling...no, desire in her heart. A desire to take advantage of this situation...a desire which had gone unnoticed for so long...a desire to destroy their friendship once and for all...

A lustful desire.

"Kh...Ritsu..." Mio said. She stirred uncomfortably, but she was not capable of getting rid of that irresistible desire.

It was wrong. So wrong.... But it was definitely there.

She should say something...no, she HAD to say something... or else her newfound desire would completely overcome her, possess her...

"No, Ritsu..." she finally said, "...I don't hate you..."

"Really?" Ritsu said in a muffled voice.

"Really," she said, realizing that she was slowly reaching her limit, "So please, Ritsu, I can't breathe..."

Ritsu moved and sat beside her. "So you don't hate me...?" she said, sighing in relief, "I'm so glad..."

"You're such an idiot..." Mio said, trying her best to sound calm. Her heart was still racing, like it almost jumped out of her chest.

"What was that...?" she thought, terrified, "What was that?? Ritsu has hugged me a lot of times before...but...but...this time, it felt..."

...Like heaven... a perfect chance for her...tempting her...to unleash her every desire...

She shook her head, forcing herself to push the dangerous desire to the farthest corner of her mind. Probably forever.

"Then why've you been avoiding me these days...?" Ritsu asked.

There was a silence. "I can't tell you..." was all she said.

Ritsu looked hurt, but she quickly recovered and pointed a finger to Mio's face, "But even if you won't tell me, you're not gonna run away from me this time! Today we'll take a bath together, play games until morning, and sleep on one bed!"

"Eh?? It won't be enough for both of us!" she said quickly.

"Why not? I'm not fat," Ritsu responded, picking up the joystick from the floor, "Besides, aren't YOU the one who gains weight, Mio-chan?"

"Ugh!" Mio flinched at mention of the sensitive subject, "I'm NOT fat!"

Ritsu plastered a naughty smile and said, "If the shoe fits, wear it, dummy!"

"You're just as fat as I am!"

"No way. I share half of my genes with Yui!"

"You never beat me in height!"

"What! I'm one inch taller than you when we were ten!"

"Too bad your growth stunted in middle school!"

Their argument continued for several minutes until they totally derailed off their original topic...

"You never beat me in games! All you think about all the time is school!"

"Oh really?! You never beat me in racing games!"

"That's just in one track! I always beat you in the rest of ninety-nine tracks!"

"Oh yeah?? Prove it!"

Mio grabbed the other joystick and began to race madly with Ritsu. After several dozen tracks and a couple of hours, she finally grew tired and said, "Ritsu...let's stop this."

"Why? We've only just played for..." she glanced at the clock on the wall, "...Five hours."

"You freak with a capital F."

"What? You're afraid this time you're not capable of beating me?" Ritsu teased, "If you don't focus, you'll lose, you know."

Mio pointed at the screen and said, "You're the one who has to look where you're going!"

"Eh? Aaack!!!"

"Ahahaha, you fell into a hole!"

"You distracted me!"

"Ahahahaha!!"

"Stop laughing!"

But Ritsu's expression made her laugh even more, so much that she even forgot to make capital out of Ritsu's mistake and win the race with ease. Heck, she's even forgotten about Aoi, her sorrows, her laptop, her missing CD...

She could finally forget everything... simply because Ritsu was there.

* * *

Azusa couldn't believe what she had just heard.

She saw her. She ran.

She ran as fast as she could. Her whole body shook.

"_Hello...?"_

She wanted to forget all about it. She couldn't.

"_Saito__...?"_

...Cold voice...

"_Those f__ilthy__ assholes at the train station...why are they still __there__...?"_

_..._ Fury...

"_You know what to do..." _

_..._Sadistic...

"_Execute."_

Curiosity killed the cat.

* * *

A few moments later, Mio and Ritsu finally arrived at Mio's bedroom to get some sleep. Without saying anything, Ritsu immediately threw herself onto Mio's bed, much to the owner's dismay, but Mio pulled out an extra pillow from her closet and lay beside her anyways.

"It's such a great game, isn't it?" Ritsu turned to face Mio, grinning in satisfaction.

"I've never played a racing game that long in my whole life..." Mio said.

"Aah, that last track's really hard," Ritsu whined, "They should just make it smooth and shiny like the other tracks!"

"You fell into that same hole for about twenty times," Mio said, giggling.

"I hate holes."

Mio let out a chuckle. Ritsu's mouth curved into a little smile.

"Are you alright now...?" she asked.

Mio gazed at her and their eyes met. "Yesterday..." Ritsu said, "You looked really sad..."

Nothing came out of Mio's mouth. She looked away from her, not daring to look at her eyes.

"Mio, tell me what's wrong..." she said worriedly, "...I'm so curious it's killing me..."

Mio couldn't bring herself to say anything. The silence felt like forever before Ritsu finally spoke.

"If you really can't tell me..." she said, touching the locks of her hair softly, "At least... cheer up."

Her gentle touch made Mio look up and their eyes met once more.

"Because I hate it...when you're sad..."

Ritsu...being the only clueless person in the clubroom... demanded to know what was going on with her band mates. Ritsu...being the idiot that she was...thought her best friend Mio had thrown her away. Ritsu...being insensitive as ever... wanted to find out what was wrong with Mio, without even realizing that SHE was the cause of her problem.

But Ritsu...being Ritsu...always tried her best to understand Mio.

More than anyone else.

Before she knew it, words suddenly escaped from her mouth, "It's... a family problem."

"Family...?" Ritsu said, confused, "How come did Yui know...?"

"We're...relatives, so she kind of...knows..." she lied. She didn't quite understand why she did it. She just wanted Ritsu to stop worrying her. She really did.

"Oh..." Ritsu said, forcing a smile, "I see! It's none of my business, isn't it...? So I'm useless after all..."

"No..." Slowly, Mio put her hand on Ritsu's.

"Eh? But there's nothing I can do to help you with your problem."

"You did cheer me up..." Mio said, squeezing her hand a little. She smiled at Ritsu and said, "Thank you."

"Wha..." It caught Ritsu off guard. "Uh...that...uhm..." she stuttered, "Le...let's go to sleep already!"

"Eh?" Mio said as Ritsu pulled her hand away, blushing.

"Let's go to sleep! I mean...uh, yeah, sleep! Have a nice dream, Mio!" she turned away and faced the other side, so Mio couldn't see her face anymore.

"Uhm...yeah, good night," Mio mumbled, wondering if she had said something wrong.

"Good night," Ritsu said lightly.

"Ritsu...?" Mio said out of the blue.

"What now...?"

She hesitated, but she decided to say it in the end.

"That person..." she said, "Do you still...like that person...?"

Ritsu didn't respond.

After gazing at her back for a few minutes, she was finally convinced that Ritsu had already gone to sleep and before long...she herself had already fallen into a deep sleep.

If she had stayed awake a while longer, she would have felt Ritsu's lips touching her forehead.

* * *

A few days after the rumor about the new contest spread around the whole school, finally, the Sakuragaoka popularity contest was officially confirmed.

The contest sparked reactions and excitement everywhere. The student council had announced the title of the contest and a grand prize of one million yen. That huge amount of money made a lot of people couldn't help but wonder who the sponsor behind this contest was, but there were a lot of other, more interesting speculations, especially about the rules and candidates. It was already known that there would be two categories, and the excited students kept guessing who among the most popular girls in the school would win.

Sanae Himuro, captain of the basketball club; Tsubasa Koyama, star of the theater club; Mariko Nakamura, captain of the kendo club; Eri Uematsu, an ex-model; Shiori Ichijo, guitarist of the jazz club; Ran Aizawa, from the athletics club; Moeka Kitami; a science genius and piano prodigy...

And among those names, there was also one girl whom most people thought would surely win any category...

Mio Akiyama, vocalist and bassist of Houkago Tea Time from the K-on club.

But that…was before another rumor spread.

* * *

In Azusa's class, there were two gossip queens who were avid music fans and sometimes asked her about her club activities. Azusa didn't talk to them much, but it was not that hard to guess which band member they preferred...

"Hey, Azusa-chan, how are ya?" one of them said.

"Hi, Kohmiya, Mishu," Azusa greeted.

"How's Akiyama-san?" the other asked, "She's so pretty!"

"And she's so cool when she plays the bass, too," her friend admitted.

"Will she join the contest? She'll join, right?" they asked brightly.

'Mio-sempai is so popular...' Azusa thought, cracking a smile.

"But do you know? There's a rumor going on about you guys," Kohmiya said, gazing squarely at Azusa.

"Eh?" Azusa said, obviously clueless.

"That the drummer, Tainaka-san, is dating Aoi Fujii, the girl from next class."

"...What?" Azusa was astonished.

Mishu stared weirdly at Azusa. "Yeah, this is kind of a hot gossip since you guys are quite well-known among juniors...and that Fujii? Damn, her new single's awesome."

"How long has this rumor been around...?" Azusa said, remembering that Aoi had just released a single.

"Quite some time. I think a lot of people know," Kohmiya explained, "We don't know who started it, though."

"But they make quite a cute couple, don't you think?" Mishu turned to Kohmiya, her eyes lit up.

"Yeah, I might vote for them if they do become a 'prince' and 'princess' candidate," Kohmiya agreed with a smile.

"You serious...?" Azusa said in disbelief.

At that very moment, she could only hope that the rumor would never reach the seniors' ears.

* * *

"I don't want!"

...Was Mio's first response when she was chosen as a candidate during homeroom session that day (after a few seconds of astonished silence, of course).

"But, Akiyama-san..." Nodoka said, giving her a sympathetic look, "You've won the vote, so..."

The door suddenly opened and Sawako walked lazily into the classroom.

"Hello, everyone, "she greeted, "What did I miss?"

"Sawa-chan-sensei!" Yui said, definitely in a very good mood, "We're choosing the candidates for the popularity contest!"

"Eh? That's boring..." she said in a low voice, "But, well, just for formality, repeat everything for me."

Nodoka sighed and read out loud from the paper she was holding, "There will be two categories, which is called 'prince' and 'princess' respectively. Each class, with the exception of freshmen, has to send out two candidates for each category. However, they will compete separately and not in pairs. The class can choose the category of their contestants, but the contestants have every right to choose the category on their own.

The 'prince' elimination round will be held one week from now, the princess's one will be held a week after, where in this round, the contestants will show their talents to the voters. From that round, it will be chosen three finalists with the highest votes from each category, and in the final round, one winner from each category will be chosen and will be awarded the title of Prince and Princess of Sakuragoka..."

"Uh-huh, as I thought, it's just a boring con..."

"The winners of this contest will be awarded one million yen."

"What?!" Sawako blurted out, "One million yen EACH?! Where do you guys get the bloody money from?!"

"From our sponsor, uh, and no, it's actually five hundred thousand for each category, and it's directly transferred to the class budget, so to win..."

"We have to exploit Mio's body and bosom!!!"

"You freaking teacher!" Ritsu shouted (although Sawako said that in a small voice so that nobody other than Nodoka and a few other students could hear).

"I don't want...I don't want to take part in this!" Mio said, looking as if she was about to faint.

Nodoka approached her and said, "Akiyama-san, you've won the highest vote. Everyone's expecting you to win..."

Mio snuck a peek at Sawako and flinched. She shook her head violently as she whimpered, "No, please, Nodoka..."

"Well...if you're really unable to participate," Nodoka said, throwing a glance at the blackboard, "I guess we have to go with the second and third highest, then..."

Which were Ritsu Tainaka and Tsumugi Kotobuki.

With their obvious respective roles.

Mio felt a jolt in her stomach.

'What...' she thought.

And somewhere else in the school, Aoi Fujii would have been chosen as a 'princess' candidate due to the popularity of her new single.

'...Is going on...'

"Why must I be a contestant??" Ritsu protested.

"Why not, Ricchan? It might be fun," Tsumugi said, flashing an angelic smile.

"Go, Ricchan, do your best!" Yui said, giving her a big hug.

"Ritsu! You have to win us the money! Or else!!" Sawako chimed in.

"Seems that I have no choice, huh..." Ritsu cried, frustrated.

'...In my head lately??'

"So that means..." Nodoka concluded, "The available candidates for now are Tainaka-san and..."

"Uhm..." Mio said hesitantly, "Wait, Nodoka!"

* * *

That afternoon, Mio walked with Ritsu out of the girl's restroom, her mind was still spacing out after what had happened earlier during homeroom that day.

"People are getting way too excited about this..." Ritsu said with a sigh.

"Maybe they just want the money," Mio said, shuddering as she remembered Sawako's expression.

"But we're the ones who have to do all the work!" she complained.

"Where did your can-do attitude go...? I thought you like this kind of thing..." Mio said, staring at her, "But at least you don't have to be 'prince'..."

Ritsu stopped dead on her tracks. "Wait, Mio..." she said, as if suddenly remembered something, "There's something I have to say about that..."

"Don't tell me you're quitting..."

Ritsu clasped her hands on her head and bowed.

"Please let me take the guy part!" she said clearly.

"Huh?" Mio said briskly, "Why...?"

"Well, I think it's more enjoyable that way."

Mio felt frozen in place. "Wait...what..."

"You see! I don't know how to talk like a proper 'princess'..." Ritsu said, shrugging, "And you know, although the class really want you to be the 'prince'...you don't want to dress and speak like a guy, right? So let's just switch roles. Okay? Okay?"

Her explanation was plausible. Mio was about to accept her plan, when she suddenly realized that something was wrong.

"Ritsu..."

Ritsu continued to blabber on, "It's for the best of both of us. That's why we should..."

"Wait, Ritsu..." Mio cut in.

"What?"

"Why do you want the role?"

"Gee... Like I've said..."

"No, don't hide it."

"I'm not hiding..."

"Oh yes, you are."

A few seconds of argument later, Ritsu finally gave up and said, "Okay, okay, the truth is..."

"Ritsu-sempai lost a bet with me, so she has to be prince of she was indeed chosen as a contestant."

"Whoa!! Aoi!"

"Why are you here??"

"I'll join, too. It's gonna be fun, right?" she said, making a 'peace' sign. She kind of resembled Mugi in one way or another.

"But how d'you know Ritsu was gonna be chosen?"

"My sixth sense?"

That 'sixth sense' of hers was seriously getting more and more terrifying.

"Aoi, I don't want to do this..." Ritsu grumbled, "I'm not gonna win. And I will seriously look like an idiot in front of the whole school."

"Oh, I will make you win," Aoi said, full of confidence, "And that's the reason I came. C'mon, Sempai..."

"Huh? Hey, wait! Where are you taking me to?!" Ritsu burst out in panic.

"To get a makeover."

"Why do we have to do this now?!"

"The main voters of this contest are freshmen," Aoi explained, "You've performed in front of them once so there might be a good chance they remember your face. But I think that's not enough, so let's go."

"But...wait!" Ritsu said, glaring at her.

"Oh, c'mon, Sempai," Aoi said with a cajoling voice, "You'll like it."

Ritsu frowned sternly. "But what about practice??"

"Sorry, Mio-sempai, please tell everyone we're called away from practice," Aoi piped up.

"Hey, but practicing without both of you is..."

"We'll come back after we find a way to take that yellow hair band off her head."

"What?! What are you planning to do?? Mio! Help me!"

'Taking that hair band off her head...' Mio thought for a while.

"Mio! Do something...!"

"Good luck, Aoi!" Mio shouted. Ritsu's jaw dropped.

"Okay, Sempai!" Aoi shouted back, giving her a thumb's up.

"Wait a second...!" Ritsu cried out loud, "Why don't we just practice! C'mon! The music room's that way! Where are we going!!! Aaaagh! Let go of meee!"

Mio turned back and walked away slowly. At least there was something interesting she could expect to see that day.

* * *

A/N: Phew! It's finally here!

And yeah, in case my description is not clear enough, Ritsu did kiss Mio on the forehead. And the person Ritsu likes? Nah, I'm not making it a twist or anything.

About pachinko, Azusa's statement that "she and Aoi are not of legal age" is not entirely true, since young teenagers can be found in pachinko parlors in Japan, although the "formal" rule is "forbidden for anyone under 18."

So what do you think? I don't mind late reviews, just please give me yours when you have time.

I can't really promise the date for the next chap either. T___T

But currently working on it! Wish me luck, guys! XD


	6. Chapter 6: The Wounded Prince

A/N: Kinda later than I initially planned, but here's the new chap, guys. ^^

Everyone should've known by now that there are les yay implications in the season 2 opening, and also the ending, and even in every. single. K-On!!. episode. Way to tease us about Romio-Jurietsu. XD

For anyone who hasn't watched the OVA or season 2 yet, there will be little unimportant spoilers of some anime original characters.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 6: The Wounded Prince

**Winter Days**

_No matter how cold it is_

_I am still happy_

_When I see your white breath as you run _

_I think of how your parted hair really suits you_

_But I want to see _

_How you look, with your hair down..._

* * *

The first time Mio saw Ritsu taking a picture of a boy, she took a picture of Ogawa, Mio's first crush, with her cell and showed it with a grin to Mio, whose face turned red as soon as she saw it.

"Look, Mio! I've got him from a good angle, don't ya think?"

Mio stared for a few seconds at the screen, before she finally said in a small voice, "He's handsome."

"Really?" Ritsu said casually, "I wonder why I can never understand your tastes."

Mio frowned at her. "D'you want me to send the pic?" Ritsu asked, "I bet you'll save it forever in your cell and photoshop hearts all over it."

"Idiot," Mio snapped, but she accepted her offer happily.

While Ritsu was sending the picture to Mio's cell, never did either of them thought, that just in a few days…nothing about Ogawa would remain in that cell.

* * *

"So both of you are chosen as contestants, that's totally awesome, Senpai!" Azusa said.

Mio sighed. After this was all over...those classmates of hers would definitely catch hell.

"Not quite, those people didn't seem to give much thought in this..." she replied. Even so, they still have no other choice but to carry the ball now anyways...

"What about you, Azusa-chan? Are you joining, too?" Mugi asked.

However, if it comes to facing the senior she always admires in a contest, clearly, the petite girl doesn't think she's the cat's whiskers. "N-no! There's no way I can win from Mio-senpai!" Azusa said, flushing, "Uematsu becomes the 'princess' candidate from my class, you know, the ex-model..."

"You mean you're not joining?" Yui said in a surprised tone, "Why, Azu-nyan?? I'm totally gonna vote for you!!"

"Hey, you're supposed to support people from your own class!" Sawako snapped. This teacher was seriously cashing in on her students...err, using her students for her own benefits.

"Yes, Yui-chan, I'm supporting Mio-chan and Ricchan," Mugi said excitedly.

Mio let out another sigh. Expressing your support to a contestant seemed to have caught on...

"So what're we gonna do today? We can't just drink tea..." Azusa said.

However, it was simply the case that the K-on club have always been having an advisor who never seems to take her club's activities too seriously.

"Let's cosplay!!" Sawako cried enthusiastically.

A few seconds of arguments later, Mio finally made a decision.

"So...everyone, I think we should come up with a new song," she announced. Her decision was immediately followed by protests from the teacher, who resisted that they should have a festive cosplay party now that two of their band members were missing.

"I figure it's the best thing we can do right now," Mio continued. ("But I've made new cosplay costumes!")

Yui nodded in enthusiasm and said, "Okay! Let's do it!"

Azusa pulled out two pens and a piece of paper from her bag."Any ideas for the lyrics?" Azusa asked, "Or the title?"

"What about 'Shoe Caked With Mud'??"

"You totally stepped on mud today, didn't you, Senpai..."

"Eh? How do you know??"

"How about 'Callused Hands'?"

"How about 'Taking a Calculated Risk', sounds awesome, isn't it?"

"You got that idea from your calculator, didn't you?"

"How about 'Pink Calculator'?"

Before anyone could give a respond, the door opened and Aoi appeared.

"Ao-chan!" Yui greeted, waving her hand.

Mugi looked around and realized someone was still missing. "Where's Ricchan?" Mugi asked.

"Eh?" Aoi looked confused as she glanced over her shoulder and found no one standing behind, "Ritsu-senpai...? Hey... Senpai..." She turned back and pokedher head outside the door, "Hurry up and get inside."

"Give it back!" Mio heard Ritsu's small voice from behind the door.

"No, Senpai...get over it already," Aoi said, and Mio could hear her sigh, "You look better this way."

"No way! You must be mad!" Ritsu scoffed.

Aoi frowned. "Senpai, you get here this instant or you'll just embarrass yourself in public."

"They'll laugh at me!" Ritsu cried, "And you have JUST embarrassed me in public, by taking me to that abnormal woman!"

"Nishida-san is not abnormal...she might be a bit weird, but she's just doing her professional work, and..."

"I'm not calling that professional work!"

"Can you please stop complaining like a cantankerous old man!"

"No! I'd rather go to a snow-capped mountain than going inside!"

Aoi sighed, knowing her efforts were as effective as Canute's.

"I'll give it back if you just kindly walk into this room and save me the trouble, please," she said loudly.

No reply.

A few seconds later, Sawako stood up and groaned impatiently, "This is taking waaay too long."

She stomped her way outside and Mio could hear several cries and screams of help from behind the wooden door, before Sawako dramatically dragged the resisting brunette inside and the girls could finally see clearly the appearance of their drummer.

Ritsu rarely went to a hairdresser, but it was obvious that she did just now. She still had her usual messy hairstyle, but at that moment it stylishly suited her more than ever, with her bangs falling perfectly on her forehead, and the spiky tips of her hair that fell down on her uniform sparkled and smelled like expensive tonic. Mio also realized that she was wearing natural make-ups. Ritsu now looked strikingly cool (and cute at the same time, with the tint of red on her face as she blushed in embarrassment, Mio noticed) and almost unrecognizable by her band mates.

They were only able to get a clear view of her for a few seconds, though, because before long she had covered her face with her arms and blocked it from their view while crying out shyly, "N-no! Don't look!"

"We haven't thought about her outfit…" Aoi explained, "But what do you think?"

"Ricchan!" Yui said breathlessly.

Ritsu, wincing at the mention of her name, began to speak miserably, "Yui, I know what you're gonna say, I..."

"Ricchan!" Yui energetically jumped forward and hugged the brunette like she was a puppy, causing Ritsu's face to turn white in surprise, "Ricchan!! You're so cute...!!"

"Eh?? Agh, Yui, I can't..."

"I never know you're this cute!!" Yui exclaimed, tightening her hug.

"You look...different. You look..." Azusa commented in a rare moment of candor, "...Great."

"Nishida-san's done a terrific job, hasn't she?" Aoi grinned in satisfaction.

"Awesome, Aoi. You have to give me her number," Sawako smiled, giving her a thumb's up.

"You look younger, Ricchan! It really suits you!" Mugi complimented.

"So cuuute!"

"I can't breathe!"

"Hey, Mio-chan..." Mugi turned to Mio and smiled at her, "What do you think?"

"Eh?" Mio responded, a bit too quickly. Everyone stared at her, and her palms suddenly turned hot. "Uhm, I, uh, you...you look..."

She saw Ritsu's curious eyes locked at her face and her heart started to race.

She didn't understand.

What she felt right now...what the hell was going on in her mind lately...why was she at loss of words...She understood nothing.

All she knew was...two or three weeks ago, she would surely tell Ritsu with a cocky face, "At least now you look little bit better."

...Or would she...?

"...Look...?" Mugi said slowly.

Mio's eyes met Ritsu's , and her heat meter filled to capacity.

"You...you look..." Her voice trailed off.

"I look...?" Ritsu said impatiently.

"...Weird," Mio said finally.

Ritsu looked thunderstruck.

"Aagh! Now everyone's gonna laugh at me!!" she cried desperately, hiding her face with her arms.

"Ricchan, everyone has different opinions," Mugi said, patting her shoulder.

"See, Aoi, I've told you it's not a good idea!!" Ritsu said. After casting around for something to say, she cried out, "That's it! I have to camouflage my face with something!"

"But this hairstyle is calculated to appeal to more people," Aoi said matter-of-factly.

"If it's calculated by your sixth sense, for this case it's obviously wrong!!"

Azusa sighed and whispered, "Mio-senpai, you're being too harsh to her."

"I...I'm being honest, you know!" she whispered back.

"Why are you blushing?"

"W-what? You're just seeing things!"

Mio turned away and started to talk with Mugi. Azusa's thoughts wandered as she gazed sadly at her Senpai's face. 'Mio-senpai's being too strange lately...' she mused, '...Maybe just talking to her alone is not enough...'

She threw a glance at Ritsu, who was busily arguing with Aoi. She might have to talk with the person in question, too. Maybe after this day was over.

And there was also that phone call she accidentally heard, which was still constantly bugging her. Was it really Aoi that she saw...? Or someone who looked like her...? Because, seriously... she never knew a girl her age who could order a 'murder' that lightly...It was just..too absurd.

A few minutes of shouts later, Ritsu finally said, "Why can't we just call it a day? I can't be doing with my hair down. Give it back!"

"Sorry, Senpai, no can do," Aoi said, now typing on her cell.

Ritsu looked shocked. "But you promised!"

"I did, but I never say when," she replied, receiving Ritsu's angry groan as a response. Aoi was definitely not the type who carried through on her promises. Her father had taught her well, Azusa mused.

"What are you planning to do, Ao-chan?" Mugi asked.

"Well, since this is popularity contest, the more people who know, the better," Aoi explained, "And the more you appeal to the target audience, the bigger the chance you can make it to the finals."

"What the hell 'target audience'?! What am I, an anime character??"

"But you did say you want to win and get the money," Aoi said, glancing at her with an annoyed expression on her face, "And you know if you don't win..."

"I'll eat both of you alive!" Sawako said, grinning devilishly at Mio and Ritsu. She almost resembled a calculating serial killer as she rubbed her hands hungrily. Mio soon freaked out and hid behind Mugi, trembling in fear.

Love for money is scary.

After a while, Ritsu finally caved in to Aoi's demands. "Okay...okay..." she said wearily, "What should I do to be a good 'prince', then? Act like a boy?"

Aoi put her cell in her pocket and glared at Ritsu bossily.

"Winning this doesn't mean that you have to act boyish! Attracting people's attention and displaying what the majority wants is central to the increase of popularity! There're a lot of things that can help you achieve this, such like the 'cool' factor. Freshmen and juniors love to admire cool and charismatic seniors, so you have to show them that factor to win. You have to imitate someone like… Mio-senpai, for instance!"

"Eh? Me?" Mio said.

"Ao-chan looks so fired up…" Mugi said.

"She changes personality…" Azusa said.

"But I can't act like Mio the whole…"

"Silence! If you don't understand this, you'll never stand out even until the centennial of this club!"

"...centennial..."

"That's cruel..."

"That's not all!" Aoi said, her eyes blazing in enthusiasm as she pointed her finger to her captive audience, "You have to show off everything you got! Your abilities, your talents, everything to catch people's eyes!"

Ritsu glanced at her, startled. "But I've told you I'm not talented in anything!"

"Ricchan, aren't you totally good in sports?"

"Argh! Don't say it in front of her!"

"That means we can use that as one of your strong points…"

"Wait a second!" Ritsu seemed simply so desperate to get out of this whole freaking contest frenzy that her usual slight narcissism vanished completely from her mind.

"Uhh… But I think you can't hold the candle to Aizawa-senpai. She majors in almost everything sports…" Aoi said, ignoring her protests.

"Of course I can't! I can't do things better than anyone!" she said frantically, "Except in drums…"

Mio stifled a giggle. That is the one thing she's always too proud of.

"Then play it right once in a while," Mio teased.

"You're the one who's been slacking off lately!"

"But not as often as you, lazy bum."

"Fufu, you guys don't have to worry about that!" Sawako said dramatically, "I've found a way to maximize your drumming ability!"

"It's settled then, Sensei?" Aoi smiled knowingly at her.

As if answering Aoi's question, there was a knock on the door and Sawako's smile widened.

"There's our secret weapon! Come on in!" she called.

The door opened once more and revealed a young short-haired woman, wearing a jet black shirt and a pair of baggy jeans, complete with a huge belt on her waist. Her hair had an eye-catching red color, and she was wearing a silver necklace with a pendant that shaped like a Greek cross and a cool gold wrist band.

However, what attracted Mio the most was that somehow, the woman looked awfully familiar. Mio was quite sure that she had seen her somewhere before.

"You guys have met her before at the live house, right?" Sawako introduced, "This is Yukina Sato, or Janice, the ex-drummer of Death Devil!"

Realization swept across the room. Now Mio remembered where she had seen her before.

"Her favorite color is red...her hobby is spelunking...and err, what else?"

"You don't need to introduce me so formally, Catherine," she said with a smile ("Catherine…?" Ritsu whispered and Yui giggled silently beside her, while Sawako scowled at them), "So you guys are really from the K-on club? I didn't notice because you applied using your band name."

In Mio's opinion, it made sense. Judging from how K-on was in the past, it was not surprising that she didn't guess that they were her successors in the club.

"But aren't you getting a hard time with this irresponsible advisor?"

Sawako stared at her. "Hey!"

"Sawa-chan is an awesome advisor!" Yui chimed in.

"Yui…" Sawako said with sparkling eyes.

"If you call doing nothing but drinking tea awesome," Ritsu said.

Sawako threw her a deadly glare before turning to Janice and said with an angelic smile, "You know, Janice, is it really okay for you to train this oh-so-talented drummer? She seriously needs something...character-building."

"No problem, she is like my successor, after all," Janice said, as Mugi hurriedly served her a cup of camomile tea.

"Uhm… can't I have a say in this??" Ritsu said, cocking her head.

"Don't worry, Senpai, Janice-san is a pro," Aoi explained, her lips curved up in a smile, "Before running the live house, she was the drummer of the famous rock band The P-Low."

"Is that true?? The P-Low?" Mio gasped.

"What is that, Mio-chan?"

"Yui, don't you know?? Their songs were 'in' a few years ago! I downloaded their chart-topping hits!"

"Gee, that's just something in the past…" Janice said, rubbing her eyes, "I came because I can't refuse a request from the best singer Death Devil ever had."

Sawako winced. "Hey… you just said it's the past right…?"

"And as for you…" Janice turned to Ritsu, who suddenly flinched in alarm, "Judging from your performance back then, there are se-ve-ral things we have to fix…"

"So let's practice now! Right, Janice-san?" Aoi said, hooking a long strand of hair over her ear.

Janice looked excited. "Precisely. Let's go straight to the live house."

"I'll come with you guys!" Sawako piped up.

"How many days left?"

"About a week of catch-up for the little drummer girl."

"We need to teach her new tricks?"

"To boost her 'cool' factor?"

"That's a great idea."

"How about Casey claw or gravity roll?"

Azusa watched them talking excitedly while she continued to eat her shortcake. Just as she was miserably thinking that they would miss another day of practice after all, Aoi walked past her, and all of a sudden she heard a whisper...

"Little cat..." she hissed, "You saw it...didn't you...?"

Azusa felt her heart jump. However, when she turned around to see her face, Aoi was already smiling at Ritsu, as happily as ever.

"Senpai, let's go!" Aoi pulled Ritsu's arm and dragged her away.

"What do you think we should dress her with?"

"She'll make a good dog or fox, don't you think?"

The four of them walked out of the clubroom, while Sawako and Janice continued to talk in high spirits.

However, the last thing Mio saw before they disappeared from view was Ritsu's eyes…which showed neither refusal to Aoi's actions nor embarrassment because of being dragged away by a junior.

All Mio could perceive from those eyes…was pain.

_I want to see_

_How you look, with your hair down_

* * *

Having a private conversation with Ritsu was quite difficult, Azusa noticed, but she managed to do it, one day after Janice suddenly appeared in their club room. It was chalked up to luck that they happened to go to the restroom at the same time after a practice (or rather, tea) session and Azusa finally got her chance to have an eye-to-eye talk with the drummer.

"This is quite sudden, but…" Azusa said, "…We need to talk."

Ritsu's eyes were filled with confusion.

Azusa took a deep breath and began, "Mio-senpai is not playing well recently…it's because of you, right?"

Ritsu blinked. She obviously wondered why the junior thought she got caught up in this. "What're you talking about…? It has nothing to do with me."

"Yes, it does!" she said, a bit louder.

She still remembered it…how Mio cried in Yui's shoulder…how Yui spent so much time comforting her…She felt a sudden wave of distress as the memory flooded back in her mind.

Ritsu looked greatly confused. "Azusa, you were there yesterday, right? Why don't you ask Yui? Why do you ask m-"

"Oi, Tainaka!"

Azusa flinched in surprise. She turned around and saw a long-haired girl wearing glasses walking toward them.

"Hey, Takahashi."

"Who's this little one?" she asked, standing in front of a tap and started washing her hands.

"Eh, uh, nice to meet you!" Azusa said hurriedly, "I'm Azusa Nakano."

Takahashi looked at her for a moment before saying, "Hmm...you're cute. Are you going to join this contest like my friend here?"

"Eh? No!" Azusa blurted out.

"Hey, don't tease her," Ritsu said, sighing.

Takahashi acted as if she didn't hear her. "Oh, yeah, Tainaka, I want to ask you something."

Ritsu raised an eyebrow and asked, "What is it?"

Takahashi looked away. "Well...you know...there's a rumor that you're dating girls."

Ritsu's body stiffened. This caught Azusa's attention instantly.

"...Senpai?" she muttered.

"Which is actually weird. I've known you for a long time, Tainaka....You surely haven't fallen that deep, right...?"

Azusa caught on to the sudden change of atmosphere as she looked at Ritsu's expression. She didn't expect this at all. What the hell was happening...?

"That rumor must be false, right? It'll be seriously creepy if...you know..." Takahashi said in a serious tone, "...Tainaka, if you're gay."

Ritsu clutched her hands. Her face paled.

"That will be...what's the word..."

Azusa saw how white her face had become...

Takahashi looked at Ritsu with a blank expression and said, "...Disgusting."

Azusa almost could hear something snap.

Before she knew what was happening, Ritsu had rushed toward the door and ran away blindingly fast, her eyes completely filled with terror.

"Senpai!!"

"Tainaka?!"

Without second thought, Azusa immediately burst out of the room, only to find that she had disappeared without a trace.

"Oh God..." Takahashi said, flustered, "Nakano, I'll go this way! Go and ask people around here!"

'Those eyes...' Azusa thought, '...Are not normal. I have to find her!'

Azusa panicked, she asked everyone she met on her way, searching desperately for the brunette.

"I saw a girl running over there."

"Really? Thank you!"

Slowly becoming out of breath, Azusa ran as fast as she could to the direction pointed by the girl, praying silently as she ran. She felt a surge of relief when she saw Ritsu standing in the middle of an empty corridor, heavily breathing for air.

When Ritsu saw her, her eyes widened and she started running again.

"Senpai, stop!" Azusa called out. "Please stop!"

She did stop running. For awhile she just stood there in silence. Now that Azusa had managed to stop her from escaping...she wanted to say something, to cheer her up, to calm her down...but when she herself was unsure with Ritsu's problem...she couldn't find anything good to say. However, if she didn't say anything, it seemed that Ritsu wouldn't speak up at all. It was like a catch-22 situation.

As she thought, Yui was much better in handling this case than she was. Azusa's mind continued to race, but before she knew it Ritsu had spoken.

"Why are you chasing me?" she said, biting her lip, "You heard her."

"...Eh?" Azusa said.

Realization hit her that instant.

"You heard her...right?" Ritsu said. She turned her face away from her. "I'm disgusting..."

Azusa never expected that she would ever hear those words from her. Neither did she expect that she would ever see her Senpai on the verge of tears...

But she was still the Ritsu who always tried to look strong. "Well, I guess now you know..." she managed, "Don't tell the others, okay? I don't think they're ready to know this yet..."

Azusa hesitated. "...Senpai, are you..."

"Please, Azusa, don't tell them," she broke in as she began to walk away, "They won't care, anyways...so let's just go back and pretend that nothing happened, okay?"

But it was not what Azusa really wanted to say. She didn't have a sixth sense like Aoi, nor that she was sure what she thought was right. But she just felt that she needed to say it, even if she didn't know why. She just felt that she had to...

She gazed hopelessly at Ritsu's back and opened her mouth...

"Mio-senpai cares!" she shouted, "She really cares about you!"

There was a silence, and Azusa waited.

She prayed that Ritsu would get it...she prayed that her two seniors would be able to get over the thing that was driving them away from their usual selves... she just wanted everything between them to be back to normal again...

However, Ritsu glanced at her as she managed a smile on her face.

She opened her mouth and said, "...She said he's handsome..."

... Her voice was shaking...

"...She wrote lyrics that are never meant for me..."

... A tear rolled down her face...

"...And she didn't get it at all...when I told her about the person I like..."

...Her smile vanished...

"There's no way..." she cried, "...We could be together...right...?"

Azusa couldn't say anything.

When you saw a cheerful person, who brought spirit and happiness wherever he or she went, suddenly broke down in front of you and cried, you would know how tragic it felt. And it was the very thing Azusa understood for the first time ever at that moment, and all of it was too much for her to bear...

"Ack, why am I crying..." Ritsu said, wiping her tears, "I'm such an idiot..." But she didn't stop, and Azusa couldn't take it anymore...

"Senpai..." she said tearfully, "Senpai...please, don't cry..."

"There are other people who deserve her more than me..." she sobbed, "...She's just too kind a girl...She deserves better...she should just get married happily with the man she loves...and let this disgusting girl die alone."

"No..." Azusa said, her face wet with tears, "Please don't say such terrible things, please don't..."

It pained her so much seeing her senpai like this. She must have buried all of this pain for so long...

But Ritsu went on, and Azusa listened.

Behind her happy expression, day by day, Ritsu kept telling herself...everything she felt for her best friend Mio was wrong. She couldn't hide it at first...but she eventually learned how...and for the first time in her life, she faked her smile.

However, she knew better than anyone, that Mio's charms...Mio's beauty... Mio's kindness...would continue to haunt her for the rest of her life.

* * *

"Thanks for hearing me out, Azusa."

Azusa shook her head and replied, "No, it's okay."

Ritsu smiled gratefully at her and said, "Maybe I should buy you something. Like, taiyaki?"

Azusa's face flushed and she said, "Uhm, no thanks."

Ritsu raised her eyebrows. She frowned and patted Azusa's head impatiently. "Be honest, will ya? Let's buy some on our way home."

Azusa stirred in embarrassment. Then Ritsu heard her small voice. "Chocolate."

Ritsu giggled and ruffled her hair. "You're such a cute little cat, aren't you?"

"_Little cat..."_

All of a sudden, a murderous whisper came out of nowhere in Azusa's mind and stabbed her heart like a deadly harpoon. Almost instinctively, the younger girl suddenly slapped Ritsu's hand off her head, making the brunette's eyes wide in surprise.

"Azusa...?"

"Ah..." Azusa blurted out, just realizing what she had done to her senpai, "I..."

"_You saw it...didn't you...?"_

Aoi's whispers and her cruel sadistic eyes continued to send chills down her spine.

"Azusa...?" Ritsu called again.

'She's not an ordinary person...' Azusa thought, her eyes wide in fear, 'Then...Senpai...'

"Senpai..." Azusa said, looking at her straight in the eye, "A few days ago, I found out something terrible about Aoi..."

"Aoi...?" Ritsu said, confused at the sudden change of subject.

"Yes...the truth is..." she said, trying her best to look calm, "...She's not a nice person like she seems to be... A few days ago... I heard her calling someone...and she's ordering that person to _kill_ other people!"

Ritsu blinked. "Are you kidding? She won't do such a thing."

Azusa's chest tightened."But I really heard her! And my friends also..."

"Are you sure? You might hear it wrong. It might be just a bad gossip. She's a rising idol, remember?"

She didn't believe her. Azusa knew it would be hard assuring her, since she knew Aoi longer than she had.

She would never believe her...unless, maybe, if she found a proof.

'That's it...' Azusa thought, '...I have to find it. I have to bring her a proof that Aoi was indeed a bloodthirsty maniac.'

She made note to herself that the first thing that she would do in the morning...was to ask the two gossip queens of her class.

* * *

A/N:

Little trivia:

1)The name "Death Devil" is actually not a band, but a stage name Sawako used. But since the OVA mentioned that "Catherine" thing…

2)Janice's surname, Sato, was taken from the surname of the drummer of The Pillows, a band from which Sawako, Nodoka, and Jun obtained their surnames/name. The source of her former band's name is pretty self-explanatory.

3)Takahashi is really one of the girls' classmates, at least in season 2 anime. She is usually known as the "Girl behind Mio at opening ceremony" or "Mio glasses clone" because she looks so much like Mio. The name is merely a (quite widely accepted) speculation, and it might be someday confirmed as a false name. The full name is "Fuuko Takahashi". Thanks for the info, ethereal.

Please review, and thanks a lot for reading. See you all next chap!


	7. Chapter 7: Forbidden Love

A/N: Little trivia: Will contain a little manga and OVA spoiler. 'What are you reading' is the first thing Ritsu said to Mio when they first met in the manga, and 'that's so lame' is from the Mitsu scene dialogue in the OVA.

Thanks a bunch for your reviews everyone! Hopefully you'll enjoy the new chapter!

* * *

Chapter 7: Forbidden Love

"Leave it to us, Azusa!" Kohmiya called out as she ran, "And don't forget your promise!"

Mishu grinned widely and added, "Yeah! Ten exclusive photos of Mio-sem..."

"I never promise you that!"

"Azu-nyan...?"

Azusa winced. She turned around and was greatly surprised when she saw Yui standing right behind her. To her certain knowledge, nobody was there three seconds ago. It was still very early in the morning, and the corridor where they were standing was still empty and deserted.

"What are you doing...?"

"Uhm...just talking with a couple of friends..." she said lamely, glancing over her shoulder. Kohmiya and Mishu had run off to God-knows-where.

Azusa couldn't say for certain that Yui believed her from her expression. "I heard you mention Ao-chan's name..." Yui piped up.

Crap. Should she tell Yui?

Azusa gazed hesitantly at Yui's innocent smile. Knowing Yui, she would start telling everyone or forget all about it next morning. And maybe...maybe she would believe her.

"Are you fighting with Ao-chan...?" Yui's eyebrows curved as she said sadly, "I heard you said she's a bad girl or something like that..."

So she heard. There was no point hiding it, then... Azusa thought with a sigh. Afterwards, she told Yui about her suspicions of Aoi's true nature and the phone call she had accidentally heard.

"And that's why I need to find out more..." Azusa said, observing Yui's expression, "You don't believe me, do you?"

Yui shook her head. "No, Azu-nyan, I believe you."

Azusa felt her spirit lifted. "Really?"

Yui grinned and gave her a hug. "If it's Azu-nyan, I'll believe everything she says!"

'So that's the real reason...' Azusa thought, sighing.

She knew she had wasted her time telling her. Even if she said Aoi was cavorting on the beach with a bunch of random guys, Yui would still believe her like a naive little kid.

"Azu-nyan..." Yui suddenly said, "Don't do that. It's bad..."

Azusa glanced up at her. "Do what...?"

"Asking your friends to find Ao-chan's secrets..."she said, "It's not a good thing to do..."

Azusa felt heat rising up on her cheeks.

First it was Mio, then Ritsu, and now Yui was on her side, too...? That girl...that girl had made her life and Mio's miserable, and yet...and yet...

Before she knew it, she said..."Yui-sempai doesn't understand."

"Azu-nyan..."

"You don't understand!"

A wave of disappointment hit her as she heard that Yui's defense toward Aoi. She knew Yui was slow to catch on things, but she thought Yui would believe her, support her...even if the others did not.

Never did she realize, though, that her disappointment, strengthened further by her dislike to Aoi, was slowly bringing her to a distance from Yui she never thought before.

* * *

Is it possible for something entirely forbidden...to end happily?

When Mio was little, she used to write stories that centered around the romantic aspects of life, which were based on her idealized views of love, and her belief that everything about love was perfect, a simple dream every girl wants. Never did she realize that love was far more complicated and just downright confusing, and that there were so many kinds of love in the world out there...

Even worse, since Aoi came with such confidence about her feelings to Ritsu, she had become increasingly doubtful about her _own _nature...her...her...

...sexual orientation.

It had seriously been haunting her, but she managed to ignore her doubts all the time.

Mio scratched her head as she was walking up the stairs toward the music room. She felt miserable. For the first time ever, Aoi had come to her house not for having guitar lessons but for an entirely different reason. And it still bugged her when she finally arrived at the music room.

She took a peek inside and noticed someone was already there, but she already knew it beforehand. She could guess who was inside from the sound of piano coming from the room. She opened the door and greeted with a smile, "Hey, Mugi..."

Mugi looked up and smiled back at her. She was standing in front of her keyboard. "Good afternoon, Mio-chan," she said, her fingers continued to move intricately on her keyboard. "It seems the others haven't arrived yet..."

Mio recognized the style of her music, although she was not very familiar with it.

"...Classical music?" she piped in curiously.

"It's just an old song I like to play when I was little," Mugi said, slightly embarrassed.

Mio remembered Mugi had won several piano competitions when she was younger. She watched Mugi played for a while, slowly became more and more entranced in the unfamiliar music.

"Classical music..." Mugi said, closing her eyes dreamily, "...Can help you to relax."

Mio was amazed at how much Mugi resembled a real princess now. She looked like one of the elegant princesses she had fantasized about in her stories when she was little. She remembered Mugi comes from a family with a high social status. It really explains how she does things with such great care and good manners, like offering cakes to strangers she even knows nothing of. Mio could never catch her making catty comments or trying to chisel somebody like Ritsu always did. Attitudes learned at home sure carried over into the school.

After a few seconds, Mugi stopped playing and asked, "...Is there something bothering your mind, by any chance?"

Mio stared at Mugi's knowing eyes.

"Azusa-chan told me about it..." Mugi said, "Would you mind sharing your thoughts with me...?"

Mio considered it for a while. Bottling up her thoughts might not be a good choice at the moment.

"Yesterday...all of a sudden Aoi came to me," she began, "And she begged me to help her with such pleading eyes that I couldn't refuse...

'Please help me make a bento for Ritsu-sempai...'"

Mugi said nothing, but her firm expression showed that she was listening carefully.

"I don't know anymore, Mugi..." she said, slowly became unable to keep herself centered anymore, "Aoi has such strong confidence, strong determination. ...She is willing to try as hard as she could, even though the biggest chance is that Ritsu will never be able to return her feelings. I admire her very much...but I...I find myself unable to support her with my whole heart...because..."

She hesitated. "Because...somehow...I'm afraid Ritsu...Ritsu will..."

"...Be taken away...?" Mugi said.

Mio gazed at Mugi, who waited patiently for her to confirm. But nothing came out of Mio's mouth. She was far too confused, too conflicted...

Was Mugi right? And if she was...did she feel that way purely because of friendship...? Or something else...?

"Mio-chan, why did you say..." Mugi said, "...That Ricchan will never be able to return Ao-chan's feelings?"

"Of course she can't," she answered immediately.

"How do you know?" Mugi asked calmly, as if they were chattering about a little girl's love life.

"Because she...uhm," Mio hesitated. Was it okay for her to reveal something so private about her best friend...? But Mugi might have already known this...and she was not the type that would spread it around like it was hot news. Mio decided to say it.

"Uh...Don't tell Aoi," she said, "...Do you know Ritsu likes somebody?"

Mugi raised her thick eyebrows. "All I know is that she's given up already."

"Eh? Really?" Mio said. Knowing Ritsu's character, she was about to say "No chance" to Mugi, but didn't do it in the end.

If Ritsu did tell Mugi that, then Ritsu... might be able to give up on something she liked after all...

...And...she might also tell Mugi something more important...

She looked up at Mugi and asked, "...Do you know who it is?"

Mugi shook her head apologetically.

"That means..."

Then she remembered.

Ritsu liked, or used to like, someone, but Mio never really discovered the gender of the person in question. It was not as impossible as she had thought.

And now that Ritsu had given up on that person, Aoi did have a bigger chance to be with Ritsu.

"But it's still..." She couldn't help herself to say the word.

Forbidden. Terrible. Wrong.

No matter how deep, there were always people who would oppose to their feelings for each other. It was just never meant to be.

Mugi gazed squarely at her, as if she understood what she was thinking.

"Have you ever heard this song...?" she asked, and then started playing on her keyboard.

It was a calm, soothing song, but there was something powerful and mysterious in the melody, blending perfectly in the notes as Mio began to listen closely. The song gave her a nice, dreamy feeling as she delved even deeper to the beautiful wonders the song radiated...she could feel a burning passion hidden neatly beneath the loving sweet melody...A passion so strong and tempting...

"What do you think...?"

Mio opened her eyes. "...It's beautiful..." she commented, "What is this song...?"

Mugi smiled warmly at her. "...It's called the Moonlight Sonata, made by Beethoven for the woman whom he dearly loved."

So it was a love song. No wonder it was so beautiful.

"But Beethoven was just a commoner, and the woman came from a noble family. Love between them was never allowed."

"But...he continued to love that woman...?"

Mugi flashed her a beautiful smile and said, "He did."

Mio stayed silent.

What is the truth behind the word forbidden...?

There are kinds of love that abide the laws of nature. But her aunt, and Aoi, tried their best to attain it, even if there were so many obstacles they had to come through. They were all simply... chasing the same dream. That same dream every girl wants.

As impossible as it was for them to achieve.

She remembered Aoi's excited face, as she struggled to cook boiled rice for Ritsu in Mio's kitchen. 'She really likes her, huh...' Mio thought, 'She wasn't just doing it on the off chance...'

She really meant everything she said about Ritsu. She wouldn't give up by choice. She didn't care even if she didn't stand a chance of being together with her...

"Mio-sempai!" A booming voice jolted Mio out of her musings as the door suddenly opened with a bang and revealed an extremely hyper Aoi.

"I've given it to her!" she exclaimed.

"R-really? Good job, Aoi," Mio said, flushing as she was just thinking about her right before she came. "I mean, she'll like it, it's her favorite."

"I really feel the need of telling you right away, it's as if my mind were chasing me up all the time!" she said, smiling proudly, "By the way, Sempai, Sawako-sensei wishes to see you."

"Eh? What is it now?" Mio sighed,"Thanks, Mugi. See you later."

She hurriedly walked away from the clubroom and left the two girls alone. Aoi felt her phone vibrating and fished it out of her pocket. She glanced at the screen for a few seconds before shoving it back into her pocket without doing anything. Mugi eyed her curiously. There was a brief silence before Aoi finally spoke, "...Beethoven. You have a really nice taste."

Mugi felt slightly surprised, but she replied nevertheless, "Thank you."

"As expected from the lady of Kotobuki family."

Mugi blushed. She thought it must be just the way Aoi changed her tune when she was speaking with someone who also came from a rich family.

"You told her about Beethoven's story, didn't you?" Aoi spoke again.

Mugi felt Aoi's tone of voice changed. She replied carefully, "...Yes."

"Then why..." Aoi said quietly, "...didn't you tell her about the ending?"

Mugi felt that Aoi was staring intently at her for some reason. She figured it was not the right time take a chance on Aoi's mood and act like she knew everything, so she only said, "...Ending?"

"You know very well that even until the end, Beethoven was never be able to be together with that woman whom he made that sonata for," she said coldly, "He took his chances, and failed, miserably..."

They stared at each other in silence. "If you don't tell her that ending..." Aoi said very slowly, "Does that mean that you're on her side...?"

Mugi said nothing for a while. "What do you think?" she said with a smile, "Gambling is your specialty, right...Aoi Fujii?"

Aoi didn't smile. Clearly, she wasn't pleased with her words...

"...Tsumugi," she whispered, "...You look really happy now."

Her words confused Mugi. "...Eh?"

"Those people in this club..." Aoi continued, "They're the only best friends you've ever had, right...?"

"What..." Mugi quickly said, "How do you..."

Aoi sniggered.

"Mind if I play around with them for a bit...?"

The question clearly startled Mugi to the point of silence.

The younger girl laughed. She walked toward the door as she glanced over her shoulder and smiled brightly at Mugi.

"Just kidding."

* * *

The next day, Mio's class welcomed an old resident with an unexpected new hair-do...

"Ri..."

"Tai..."

"Tainaka?" Some of her classmates gasped in amazement.

The brunette groaned impatiently as almost every girl in the class turned around to watch her with ogling eyes. Mio quickly approached the unusually quiet drummer and whispered to her, "Ritsu...? What's with your...?"

"Those three forced me to do an intensive training until one in the morning..." she grumbled, "I'm not in the mood for talking. I just don't get enough sleep..."

"I know that, that's why I didn't wait for you just now. I thought you would be stuck on your bed for the next five hours," Mio said. She didn't feel the need to chase Ritsu down that morning, so she simply left her and went to school alone. "It's a miracle you don't actually come late."

"That's because Aoi came and dragged me off my bed," she said, obviously feeling horribly crappy, "And she won't let me wear my hair-"

"Ritsu-sempaiiiiii!"

"Oh, shit, Mio, hide me!"

"Hide you where...?"

Aoi's head popped out at the classroom door. "There you are! Let's go!"

"Give it up, Ritsu, she's here," Mio said to Ritsu, who was clinging at her like a two-year-old.

"Aoi...Don't you have a heart?" Ritsu said, faking a sob.

"C'mon, Sempai, this is my way of loving you," she said jokingly as she pulled Ritsu away from Mio.

One of Mio's classmates watched the whole thing and laughed. "Aww, Tainaka, you're so lovey-dovey with your girlfriend."

"You two make such a cute couple," the other teased loudly.

Before Ritsu could respond, Aoi had pulled her out of the classroom and soon both of them disappeared from Mio's view.

As she watched them leave, Mio felt a sickening jolt in her stomach...

She slowly turned her head to the two girls who had just teased Ritsu and Aoi, and said, "What did you guys...say just now?"

* * *

In just one week, the unknown drummer of Houkago Tea Time had captured the attention of the students all over the school. The fact that she was left in the care of the ex-drummer of once the most famous girl band in the country, and the rumor that she was dating the rising idol Aoi Fujii, carried much weight to her sudden popularity.

Now Mio could hear conversations in the middle of a corridor like "She looks so cute with her hair down", "Have you seen her in casuals?", "I wanna see her play the drums again!", "We're gonna vote for Tainaka in the contest!" or "I kind of envy Fujii..."

Envy.

Sometimes, Mio couldn't help but wonder why Ritsu seemed not to be able to refuse Aoi's demands. She might want to win a lot of money and had lost a bet, but Ritsu's attitude toward Aoi was unusual for her standards. As far as Mio could see, Ritsu saw Aoi as a little sister, acting a bit more mature when she was talking to her, and sometimes flashing her a smile which Mio had hardly ever seen her show to anybody else.

'But why...?'

'Why did she seem to treat Aoi more differently than the rest of us...?'

...What did she really think about Aoi...?

Was it really like Mio thought it was...? Or more...?

And who was the person...who had first call on everything Ritsu thought?

Mio could never find the answer to those questions.

And finally, the day of the contest arrived.

* * *

That morning when Mio came to the classroom, it was buzzing with excitement.

"Ah, Akiyama!" one of her friends called out, "Seen Tainaka anywhere?"

Mio remembered Ritsu went to school earlier today to prepare her performance. "No, what's wrong?"

Mio noticed the classmates had changed the chairs and tables around. "We just want to give her something to wish her luck before the contest," the girls said.

"But she's nowhere to be found!" the others said worriedly.

"She won't answer our calls, either," Takahashi added. Mio looked around. None of her club members were there. Well, she was usually the earliest with Ritsu, so she wasn't surprised.

"But her bag's already here." A girl pointed at Ritsu's chair.

"She might be somewhere around school..."

"Can you help us look for her?"

Feeling a little confused, Mio accepted their request and started her search. She figured Ritsu might be with Aoi, so she visited Aoi's class first.

Aoi was chattering with some of her classmates, but she noticed Mio, who was standing anxiously at the door, almost immediately when she came. Mio briefly explained the situation to her, but Aoi just looked as confused as she was.

"Eh? She's not in your class?" Aoi said.

Mio sighed. "So you don't know either, huh?"

Aoi shrugged her shoulders. "We're done with everything, and then I thought she went back to her class..."

"She's missing," Mio said, feeling uncomfortable as she heard nearby murmurs. Some of Aoi's classmates started to point shamelessly at her while whispering to their friends. Drat...did she have fans in this class, too...?

Aoi seemed to pay no attention to her classmates. "In that case, I'll help you out."

"Err...thanks," Mio said, wishing she could just leave as fast as she could, "Where should we search first...?"

Aoi thought about her question for a moment. "Hmm...how about you check out the clubroom, and I'll go somewhere else? We can save more time this way..."

Mio agreed and headed to the music room. She had only went here so early once on her first day as a senior. Somehow, she had a feeling that she could find the drummer here. It was probably the place where she would run off to when she was not in the mood for talking with people.

She opened the door and when she saw who was inside, she let out a sigh of relief.

She was there, resting her head on one of the tables under the faint sunlight coming from the windows. She seemed to have changed back to her uniform, and Mio couldn't help but imagine Aoi's reaction when she saw this.

Ritsu looked up at her and muttered, "...Mio?"

It was at that instant when a remark she had heard hit her head like a meteor. 'She looks so cute with her hair down.'

But she never had the capacity...to say it out loud. Or even simply to be honest. She could never be like Aoi, expressing her simple opinions like 'Sempai, you look better this way...'. She hated herself for that.

However, she admitted to herself that she liked it. She admitted that it made a change to see how good she looks without her hair band. But she couldn't admit it...to anyone else.

"...Hey," Mio greeted, "Everyone's looking for you. Why don't you take the call...?"

"Aww...sucks," she buried her face in her arms. She seemed completely out of energy. "They can look for me for all I care."

"Ritsu," Mio said angrily.

"I know, I know, I'm just kidding," she replied with an apologetic grin, "Sorry, I just need some sleep."

Mio laughed. "Janice-san trained you again?"

"I almost can't feel my hands anymore..." she muttered, "And Sawa-chan...ugh. I've never seen her so turned on to me in my whole life..."

That must be disturbing.

Mio looked around and saw what looked like a pair of cool-looking boots on the floor. "Why did you change back into your uniform...?" she said, picking them up.

"That...'culotte-skirt' thing is too tight..." Ritsu said without looking, pointing at the scattered clothes on the other side of the table.

Mio decided not to comment about the mess and said, "Then what about the fox ea-"

"Don't mention that!"

Mio let out a chuckle when she saw Ritsu's embarrassed face.

"Ritsu, you know what..." she began, "I think you'll make it to the finals."

"Huh?" Ritsu glanced up sharply.

"This is your big chance. A lot of those juniors and freshmen are falling in love with you," she said jokingly.

"Seriously?" Ritsu said wearily.

"Yup, they love your looks and everything. I can't imagine if you were a boy right now. Maybe they would seriously be chasing after you," she said with a laugh.

But Ritsu didn't laugh.

She stared at Mio's face in unusual silence.

"Ritsu...?" Mio said.

"...What about you?" she asked.

"Eh...?"

"If I were a boy..." she said, "Would you love me...?"

Mio's eyes widened.

She didn't utter a single word.

However, it was apparent that Ritsu never expected an answer.

* * *

_We've known each other for like...forever._

Among the cheering, shouting, and enthusiastic crowd, Mio gazed out at the stage of the school hall, which was illuminated with bright, multi-colored lights. Several men were arranging a yellow Hipgig set on the stage as Nodoka announced to the crowd, "And here's our next contestant..."

...then she called out the name which made Yui, Mugi, and the rest of their classmates jump in excitement as they roared...

"Ritsu Tainaka!"

_A hyperactive idiot__... a loser...a lover..._

"And what you'll show us is..."

The brunette took the mike and punched the air as she cried, "The world's best drumming experience!"

The crowd cheered even louder, clapping their hands and shouting her name in chorus.

"Are you ready?" she screamed from the stage.

And as the loud beats of the drums started to fill in the room, reinforcing the high spirits of the crowd...Mio remembered.

That childish voice...carried her back to the days of their childhood.

"_What are you reading...?"_

The shy little girl back then...had gone this far with her energetic companion...and even created a band. In every second...every day...Ritsu teasing her, making fun of her phobias, and imagining silly things about her...they grew together...side by side...inseparable.

Her bangs swung as she performed terrific drumming stunts on the stage. She twirled her drumstick, flashing a blissful smile as she continued to play.

Mio's minds were casted back to that very moment...

"_Let's form a band, together!"_

No matter how lazy and annoyed Ritsu was, she simply loved music more than anything. She always had that smile...when she sat behind her drum set, ready to signal the others to play...

Mio remembered the story her grandfather had told her...what Mugi had said to her...what Aoi had done for the sake of stealing Ritsu's heart...

"_I'm always beating up guys for you, aren't I...?"_

She was good-looking, too cute, too captivating...

"_The Dangerous Queen, Mio Akiyama!"_

Silly at times...

"_Look, Mio, my hand is bleeding...!"_

A bully at all times...

"_Mio, don't leave me!"_

"_Because I hate it...when you're sad."_

But...

"_Tha...that's __pretty lame!"_

...completely irresistible...

"_Mio-chan is..."_

"_The best friend I love most in the whole world!"_

"One more time!" Ritsu shouted from the stage, beads of sweat trickled down her forehead.

_I don't want to be your best friend..._

_I don't want to be _just _your best friend..._

As wrong as it sounds...

"_If I were a boy..."_

Mio couldn't take her eyes off the drummer...

"_...Would you love me...?"_

"...Yes..." she whispered.

Even if you aren't.

* * *

_"Attention, everyone..."_

"_Student council will now announce the finalists of the Sakuragaoka prince contest..."_

"_Ran Aizawa..."_

"_Mariko Nakamura..."_

"_And Ritsu Tainaka."_

* * *

A/N: I once saw solo drum performances on TV and God, they're so awesome. Even more interesting when it's a girl doing it, for some reason. XD

And that's all for the new chap! Lots of thanks for reading, oh, and thanks for everyone who's still following until now! I happen to know one or two people who don't seem to follow this anymore... Your support means a lot to me. (T_T)

I'll really appreciate it if you will this leave little chappy a review! XD See you all next chap!


	8. Chapter 8: Clandestine

A/N: Tomorrow I'm gonna be super busy, so I decided to post this nao XD

This chapter and the next are actually one chapter, but because of the length, I decided to divide it into two parts. (The next chap is still in progress).

* * *

Chapter 8: Clandestine

The first time Ritsu actually asked something related to romance was a few days after Mio admitted to her that she had fallen in love for the first time.

"...Hey, Mio," she said, "How do you know that you're falling in love with someone...?"

Mio kept staring at her, wondering what had gotten into her best friend. Ritsu was not the type who liked to bring out such subject, not only because her carefree nature, but also because of an uncomfortable experience she had in the past when her cousin died in childbirth. She never mentioned boyfriends again since then.

Mio didn't feel like asking, though, so she decided to answer. "W-well..." she began, "...You just can't stop thinking about that person..."

Ritsu listened to her with a curious expression on her face. "Uh-huh...? Then?"

"A...and you...you keep wishing," Mio explained, hoping her choice of words wasn't so crappy.

"Wishing...?" Ritsu said, watching Mio playing with her fingers. She was obviously nervous.

"Wishing...like...you wish you can...someday become his spouse...or...you start to imagine...that you're a princess...and he's your prince...you keep wishing such beautiful things to happen..."

Ritsu chuckled and said, "That is so you, Mio..."

"...You hate it when some other girl wants to get closer to him...and you feel like you can do anything if it is for him..." she continued, "You dream about him in your sleep...and you feel happiness every time you speak to him or touch him..."

Mio knew how silly she sounded right now. Normally Ritsu would chortle and tease her, but for some reason Mio didn't know, this time she didn't.

"...It seems fabulous," Ritsu commented, "For somebody to actually make you feel that way, right?"

"...Right," she said, closing her eyes peacefully, "By the time those things happened...I know I don't want to think about him...as a friend..."

* * *

Mio could never forget the day when she realized it.

She left her friends from the gym with a cheery good bye.

When she arrived home, her mom asked why her face looked so (creepily) happy.

She didn't talk much when she had dinner with her family as her mom and dad were discussing about a new brand of laptop of choice for business use while drinking hard cider.

She didn't know where, how, and when she should tell both of them, and she knew she would feel confused to the point of crying when the chips were down.

A wave of jealousy swept her mind when she remembered Aoi.

She felt the emotions that churned inside her followed her to her sleep.

But in every second she spent the rest of her day before climbing onto her bed... her mind was constantly filled with the face of her love.

* * *

She felt the need to claim her back.

"Hey, Takahashi..." she said to her classmate as she was circulating a class announcement.

Takahashi shut her clamshell phone and glanced up to her, "What is it, Akiyama?"

"Are Ritsu and Aoi really going out...?"

Takahashi raised her eyebrows. "Shouldn't you know better than I do...?"

She was silent.

"Well..." Takahashi encouraged, "...You know how it works. If rumors are true, then they are."

* * *

'Okay, Mio Akiyama...' she told herself, 'It's about time you realize the truth.'

She was either a bi or a lesbian, and she fell in love with a girl. "That girl", was already loved by another. And she, Mio, and her friends were helping the person to get closer to "that girl". And "that girl", had no clue at all of any of the above.

"What a mess..." she said out loud.

"What is it, Mio-chan?" Mugi asked curiously.

"Eh? Uh, nothin..."she said frantically.

She and Mugi were eating lunch together at one of Mugi's most favorite places in the world: the fast food restaurant. Just the two of them. Mio had a reason for this. She couldn't speak freely in front of the likes of Aoi or "that girl", although Aoi was currently absent from club activities due to her work. Therefore, she asked Mugi to accompany her to eat at a restaurant by Mugi's choice.

She wondered why she was the only one who thought it wasn't a suitable place for a Kotobuki to eat, though. And the road outside was so choked up with traffic that it was noisy as hell. Totally the best place on earth to ask someone an important problem...

"So what is it that you want to talk to me about...?" Mugi asked brightly as Mio gloomily chomped on her burger.

She swallowed nervously and said, "Uhm...I actually need...uh...to discuss...uhm...no...I need...a 'consultation'."

Mugi's eyes lit up as she stared intently at Mio. Mio took a deep breath and said, "I need you to teach me how to win."

Yes, she realized that she wanted to win this contest now that Ritsu was among the "prince" finalists. And Mugi was the best advisor she could think of. She was the person who resembled a rich and elegant princess the most in Mio's opinion, and she couldn't think of asking for help from anybody else.

Like now, for example. Wearing a pretty dress with bright citrus shades, Mugi successfully delivered the fresh feeling of the approaching summer right from her wardrobe. Mio wondered if she could ever see her particular friend in casuals and she would still look as beautiful as a princess. If only Mugi weren't so nice and kind-hearted, Mio might ask her to help civilize Ritsu.

Mugi watched Mio stir uncomfortably on her chair, and tried to perceive what she was thinking.

"...Why all of sudden?" Mugi asked.

"...Well..." Mio said, drinking from her glass of lemon tea. Ignoring the citric flavor, she quietly gazed at the busy road outside. Personally, she was unsure of what she was really supposed to say.

Mugi decided to speak again.

"Do you want to be Ricchan's spouse?"

Mio choked on her tea.

"Wh...wh...what spouse? There's no way...it's impossible...I...I don't like her! No, not a chance!"

Okay...so she wasn't ready to come out at all.

But how did Mugi know? Did she read minds?

Mugi raised her eyebrows as Mio continued to blabber on and on..."...She does not look cute with her hair down...spouse...spouse is...becoming her spouse is not..."

"Calm down, Mio-chan. When I said 'spouse', I meant 'princess', not _real_ spouse...since Ricchan's 'prince' now, right...?" she explained, although she was not quite sure of why she really needed to explain. In her opinion, it was quite clear that she was half-joking just now. She just never thought the joke would work, or not work, this well.

"Eh...?" Mio said. She was more embarrassed than ever as she sank down on her seat. "...Uh, I'm sorry."

Mugi really wanted to say "It's okay, it's understandable" but actually, she could see nothing "understandable" from Mio's uncharacteristic actions.

Azusa was right. Mio was _definitely_ strange. And probably Aoi had known this already.

"Then, why...?" Mugi asked.

There was a brief silence. "I'll tell you everything...by the time this is all over..."

Mio felt horribly guilty. She knew it wasn't nice for her to hide her feelings from Mugi, but she couldn't do it. She just...wasn't able to...

And there was still Aoi. She wanted to ask Mugi if Ritsu and Aoi were really dating, but she couldn't help herself to do it because she was afraid if Mugi would find out that she likes Ritsu. Mugi was a sharp girl. She might be able to realize it without asking after some time.

Mugi weighed her statement.

It still aroused her curiosity, and this seemed fun for her anyways, so she said, "Okay."

"Really?" Mio glanced at her with hopeful eyes.

"Yes, I'm supporting you and Ricchan," she said. Mio knew Mugi felt a bit proud of being choosy about who to support once in a while. Mio didn't know how she had struck a chord with her, but she continued.

"...Then... what do you think I should do...?" she said hesitantly, as if she were asking someone about what to do in a difficult situation.

"Hm...I don't know if this is the right advice or not..." Mugi said thoughtfully, "But I don't think you need to do anything in particular."

Mio blinked bemusedly. "Huh...?"

"Not literally, I mean, just be yourself," she explained, "You don't need to imitate anyone. Show them what you can do."

As Mio was considering it for a moment in silence, a chubby little boy passed by and stared hungrily at their pile of fries. Mugi kindly offered some for the kid and he accepted happily. He waved the girls goodbye and shouted a word of thanks as he ran back to the playground corner.

Mio observed his childish expression. It reminded her so much of the younger Ritsu...who always encouraged her to believe in herself...

"I see..." she said, looking at Mugi, "But all I can do... is..."

"How about singing a song?" Mugi said with a smile, "Something like a song that comes from your heart, a song which you pour all your feelings into...If you sing that song with your whole heart, I'm sure a lot of people will be touched."

Mio thought about her suggestion for a moment.

A song that she could pour all her feelings into...?

Her feelings for Ritsu...?

Yes, it might be the best way. And she wouldn't regret it if she was unable to win...

But she was doubtful.

"Do you think I...I can do it?" she asked, almost in a choked voice.

"Of course I do, Mio-chan," Mugi replied kindly.

"I-I mean...the whole school will be watching...and I'll be all alone on the stage...and s-s-s-si..."

"Does that seem too much for you to bear, Mio-chan?" Mugi said worriedly, "...I think it's better if you don't use Elizabeth, either..."

"...Eh?" Mio said, chewing on her lip. She was obviously trying to choke back her frightened tears.

"Ao-chan and some other contestants are going to sing, too," Mugi said. Mio still hadn't fully recovered from her stage-fright. Mugi didn't know whether she could make it to the end in the circumstances, but she could at least push her. "Then there's that singer and bass player from the jazz club... so I think if you don't add something like a guitar...you won't stand out..."

"S-stand out?" she said, practically shouting.

The bass was not really Mio's first instrument. Before Mio ever thought about the consequences, Ritsu had persuaded her to learn guitar first, because it "looks cool with my drumming!" or something along those lines. She changed into bass some time after that, but she couldn't just chuck her guitar away. Left-handed instruments were...well, one of the things that always fascinated her.

"B-but it's okay if you... I mean...Mio-chan, you can't only count on your fans, the main voters of this contest are all freshmen remember?" Mugi said, "Are you really sure you can do this...?"

Mio felt her hands were trembling. This was nearly impossible for her...she knew it since the beginning...but she had decided to accept it. Would it be okay if she gave up here...?

And Ritsu and Aoi would be chosen as the school's 'prince' and 'princess'...? It would be...

"..._not_ okay..." she growled.

"Mio-chan...?" Mugi said, worrying if Mio had finally felt so nervous that she choked up. Instead, Mio looked up and glanced sharply at her.

"I'll do it," she said quickly with a stronger voice.

"Eh?"

Her self-confidence was unsurprisingly short-lived, though. "I...I mean, I'll try!" she choked out, "Just this time. Just for this once..."

'Your face doesn't look that confident though...' Mugi thought. However, she noticed Mio's eyes were shining with forced courage. Somehow...Mugi felt that she was trying to show her she was becoming a changed woman. And she simply appreciated it.

"Well..." Mugi said slowly, "Do you have a left-handed guitar...?"

She nodded. "I got it. I still play it sometimes." She imagined herself playing the chords on the slightly unfamiliar five strings instead of four.

Mugi smiled. "Then...I don't know if you like this or not...but what if you try a different style of music...?"

"Eh? Different style...?" Mio said, snapping to attention.

"Do you want to try this style...?" Mugi said, reaching for her phone and played a song for Mio to hear, "It is called ska."

"Ska..." Mio repeated, "I've heard of it. It's that music from a country somewhere in America right?"

"You're correct. Does it sound interesting?"

Mio figured if she wanted to show everyone a change, then it was best if she tried as hard as she could. "It sounds great. Maybe I'll try it. Can you help me...?"

"Yes, I can," Mugi said, now attesting that Mio could definitely get through this, "For this style you might need heavier lyrics. Like, more mature and poetic in some way..."

"So perhaps I can try something entirely different," Mio said. She never really understood the phrase 'going all out' before, but she might need that right this moment. She _had_ to stop doubting and worrying...

"Yes, so everyone can see a new side of you, and you can show them that you can do much more than they think," Mugi said, putting her phone back in her pocket, "Isn't it wonderful...?"

"Let's see what I can do," Mio said as she pulled out a piece of paper and a pen from her bag. No sooner had she written on it than Mugi gasped.

"Mio-chan, you're using your right hand...?"

"Huh? Oh..." Mio said, noticing what Mugi was looking at, "N-no. I'm just...doing this a lot recently. It's not that I can do everything with my right hand. I just feel the need to try to get used to it since there're many things that my left one cannot use..."

"Are you alright?" she asked. Mio chuckled at her question.

"I'm improving..." she grinned shyly.

"If you need help with the song, just come to my house," she said, "I'll do whatever I can."

Mio nodded once more. She was determined to carry this through. She had to get rid of her anxiety, even if she must claw her way out of the claustrophobia of her stage-fright. After all, becoming Ritsu's 'spouse' had never become such a great priority inside her mind...

"Oh, and Mio-chan, this is just in case so..." Mugi added, "I really think you should practice one more little thing..."

* * *

Mio had only a few days left to create a new song and practiced singing and playing it on guitar. It drove her into sleepless nights and she had trouble staying awake in the middle of lessons.

Not even in her favorite lesson, literature.

Her teacher's speech sounded like nothing more than a swarm of busy bees buzzing around the room, and her head became heavy. The rays of sunlight coming from the windows made her dizzy. She rested her head on the table to calm her nerves, which were desperately screaming for sleep.

She could see a glimpse of the back of Ritsu's head. Only seeing that was enough to make her feel a warm and giddy feeling in her stomach. She closed her eyes wearily, whispering Ritsu's name to herself...

She stopped taking notes... and began to scribble on a piece of paper.

Before she knew it, she was writing Ritsu's name...and decorating it thoughtfully with different colored pens. And then...very slowly, she scribbled her own name beside it...and drew a small visible heart in between...

This was the first time she did such a girly thing in class after graduating from middle school. She knew it was such a childish thing to do…

But she was happy. She began to accept her feelings better than when she first realized it. She might be a lesbian, she mused, But what did she care?

'I have someone I like...' she thought, '...And she is my best friend...'

What could possibly be better than that...?

Nothing.

Her mind was so brimful of Ritsu that she was able to completely ignore the fact that she was still unsure of Ritsu's sexual orientation. She wrote her signature under their names with a smile. She closed her eyes once more, and Ritsu's face swam in her mind. It was the last thing she saw before she finally dozed off.

* * *

"_Mio, can I tell you something...?"_

"_What is it, Ritsu...?"_

"_Actually I...I..."_

"_Why do you sound so nervous...?"_

"_I like you, Mio."_

"_Huh?"_

"_I...I've liked for such a long time! I...I can't bear it anymore!"_

"_W-wait...Ritsu..."_

"_I've always been teasing you, but the truth is...I really like your cute expression when you're afraid or angry...I..."_

"_Say no more, Ritsu."_

"_I love it when...eh?"_

"_I like you, too."_

"_What? Are you serious?"_

"_I'm serious."_

"_...No...sorry, Mio...I can't believe you..."_

"_Eh? Why?"_

"_If you do like me...then prove it."_

"_What the hell, Ritsu...I'm being hon-"_

"_Can I kiss you?"_

"_Of course you—what?"_

Yui, Ritsu, and Mugi watched the bassist as she carried on dreaming...

"She looks like she's having a good dream..."

"Why do I feel shivers down my spine...?" Ritsu said.

"Probably because today's cold and raining...?" Yui suggested.

"Nnh..." Mio muttered, "Ri...tsu..."

Yui leaned closer to hear her words better and said, "Ricchan, she's whispering your name."

Yui began to curiously move her hand above Mio, as if she were trying to find out what she was dreaming telepathically.

Ritsu snorted impatiently as Yui's hand circled around above Mio's head. "I bet she's dreaming about hitting me again. Goddammit, she even does that in her sleep!"

"Does she usually hit you with such a happy face?" Mugi asked.

"More like horny..."

"Mio-chan, Mio-chan, wake up!" Yui said, peering at Mio's face that was almost hidden beneath her fringes while waving her hands energetically.

Mio didn't budge. "Give it up, Yui. When she's in her dreamland like this it can take hours until she wakes up..." Ritsu said, "And it seems that she hasn't gotten enough sleep lately. Maybe we should just spare her some time..."

"Azusa-chan's waiting..." Mugi pointed out, "Should we leave...?"

"Uh, yeah, I forgot...Aoi's still busy with her music video shoot, isn't she?" Ritsu said, although she almost giggled when she imagined a lonely and confused Azusa in the music room, "Then, Yui, you stay here. We might, uh, bring our tea sets here or something..."

Yui comically saluted her and cried out, "Roger that, Ricchan!"

* * *

"_...Mio, where should I kiss you next...?"_

"_...Nnh..."_

"_...Here...?"_

"_Nn...no, Ritsu...it's still too soon...for us..."_

"_Mio-chan...!"_

"_...Huh...?"_

"_Mio-chan...!"_

"_Ritsu...why do you suddenly call me like that...and why do you really sound like Yu..."_

"Mio-chan!"

Mio's eyes shot open. Ritsu suddenly vanished, and the one that was standing next to her desk, was the real Yui.

"You're awake," she said with a grin, "Mugi-chan and Ricchan thought it'll be long until you're a..."

"Ritsu was here?" she said frantically.

"Eh? Yeah," Yui said, confused. Of course Ritsu was there, it was their classroom after all.

"I...I...I...Did I..."

"You were talking in your sleep."

Mio looked absolutely astonished.

She had heard it.

Ritsu had heard it.

Ritsu had totally caught her at "it"!"

For the vulnerable mind of Mio Akiyama, that was...that was...

"Nooooooooo!"

It took a few seconds of Mio's loud screams before Yui realized she had made a mistake.

"Calm down, Mio-chan."

"How could I...she heard...I...aagh!" she dropped her head on the table in despair.

Uh...table?

Her head shot back up. She glanced sharply at Yui.

"Yui..." she said anxiously, "Did you see a piece of paper any..."

Then she saw it.

She saw Yui holding it.

When Yui realized the terror in Mio's eyes, she cried, "I'm just curious about what is under..."

"_Aaaaaaaaaaaah!_"

She had let the cat out of the bag in the stupidest way possible.

* * *

She never thought she had to come out this fast.

And to Yui nonetheless.

She had tried to make up an excuse for it, but Yui could be "sharp" in very few things, like when she always unintentionally hurt Sawako by mentioning her boyfriend. So when Mio denied that she was the one who wrote it, Yui simply said "Then why's there your signature on it...?" and Mio had no other choice but to admit defeat.

"...and...do you remember when I cried in front of you a few days ago...? ...This...this might be one of the reasons..." Mio finished with a sigh.

Yui, who listened to her in unusual silence from beginning to end, finally made her first response to her. "So Mio-chan likes Ricchan, too..."

"Please, please, please don't tell anyone, Yui!" Mio begged.

Yui blinked. "Why...? Ao-chan told Mugi-chan and Azu-nyan, too..."

"No! Please! Just please...! I'm not...I'm still not sure...I'm not ready yet!" she said.

She admitted...she was still a coward. Her courage clearly couldn't carry through the ordeal of coming out to even her closest friends.

"What if Ricchan likes Mio-chan, too...?" Yui asked.

"_If I were a boy...would you love me...?"_

It was not that she never thought of it before. She had felt that Ritsu...might be able to like her back, but she was pessimistic. She found no guarantee of it even in those words. She didn't want to get her hopes up too high. She was afraid she would get rejected, or, even worse, she was afraid Ritsu would think she was...

"Don't you think I'm...weird?" Mio asked.

"Weird? Why?"

Mio forgot Yui's sense of logic was not quite understandable by normal human beings. It was also her claim to fame, of course...

"Mio-chan likes Ricchan," she continued, "What's wrong with that...?"

"Yui..."

She is Yui. She never speaks ill of anybody. She made no claim to understand Mio's worries. Because the only thing that matters for her is...

"Mio-chan is still Mio-chan," Yui said, "So I don't care."

The last person whom she thought would ever come out to was Yui.

However, she was the first person to make her feel so happy and welcomed after she found out her true nature.

And she didn't regret it...that the first person she came out to was actually her...

Mio was about to thank her when she heard Mugi's voice, "...Hello!"

"What're you guys talking about...?" Ritsu's face appeared at the door.

"Ricchan!" Yui greeted. She turned to Mio and pulled her hand. "Let's go...Mio-chan!"

"Mio..." Ritsu called out, smiling impishly at her, "Come here, you sleepyhead."

Mio felt her heart miss a beat.

But she was ready. She made a face and said, "You're the one to talk!"

Ritsu grinned and nudged her shoulder.

Mio secretly smiled.

Fortunately...until she told everyone...this was more than enough.

* * *

As the five girls hurried toward the clubroom... the clack of high heels could be heard just outside the classroom.

The girl wore a gorgeous all-black ensembles and a lovely makeup fitting for a teenage celebrity.

Aoi picked up a ruffled piece of paper dropped near the rubbish bin in front of class 3-2.

She took a glance at it, and tore it to shreds...

The first rip being right through the heart between the names "Mio" and "Ritsu".

* * *

A/N: Woohoo, finally a new chap. I'm sorry if this chapter's a little boring because of the slow pace or the crappiness or anything else... (^^;)

Thanks a bunch for reading this chapter, and please tell me what you think about it! XD


	9. Chapter 9: True Colors

A/N: I'M BAAACK! ...for a while. Been dreadfully busy lately, but I managed to stay alive...thanks to your reviews! Yay!

Little trivia: Some spoilers of the second season ED. Yeah, that one with the double Mio.

* * *

Chapter 9: True Colors

The first time Mio blushed because of a single sentence was when a small brunette said to her with the most sincere smile she had ever seen...

"_Mio-chan, your voice is so beautiful.__..__"_

* * *

Azusa listened closely as the two gossip queens were explaining the results of their search for the past few days. There were some stupid and weird things, like how Aoi had actually been a Cinderella of the idol world before her parents suggested her to sing, how she hated her citified surroundings when she was a kid, how she always managed to make her room spotlessly clean, and also, one really important thing that attracted Azusa's attention...

"...And that's all we got!" Kohmiya finished proudly, "Interesting, huh?"

Azusa nodded. They had made it clear; she had gotten the information she needed. "She was really like that in the past?" Azusa commented.

"Remember, Azusa, gossips are gossips," Mishu pointed out, "One percent believable level is impossible!"

Azusa thought about it for awhile.

"...Then give me an estimation, queens," Azusa said.

Mishu and Kohmiya grinned at her response.

They opened their mouths and said in unison, "Eighty...!"

* * *

Ritsu let out a deep, long sigh.

"What's wrong...Ritsu-senpai?" Aoi asked.

"Eh? Ah, no, I'm just thinking of...things..." Ritsu said, crossing her arms as she gazed at the ceiling.

"Have you been doing it the whole day...? Because you obviously didn't look at the ground while walking to school..." Aoi asked with a sigh as she noticed what looked like clayey soil stuck under Ritsu's shoes.

"Ri...Ritsu-senpai!"

They both turned and saw some girls, obviously freshmen, since they were all wearing green ties, standing anxiously behind them. They seemed to put a lot of effort into greeting them. The one who had called her name was panting, as if she were clambering up a steep bank.

"Yes...?" Ritsu said, confused.

"Uh...uhm," the girl stammered, chewing her lips, "C-congratulations on making it to the final round!"

Ritsu could only gap like an idiot.

"A-and...good luck to you, too, Fujii-senpai!" her friend said, "We will always support you!"

"Thank you very much," Aoi smiled at them, "We will not disappoint you. Right, Senpai?"

"Eh? Uh, yeah!" Ritsu said, obviously had no idea what the hell she should say and let her narcissistic side take over, "Don't forget to vote for me, ladies!"

They nodded excitedly and scuttled away, chattering loudly as they went: "Fujii-senpai looked at me!", "I actually talked with Ritsu-senpai!", "She's so cute...", "Aww, I really like her...!", "Hussh, be quiet...!".

Aoi waved at her and turned to Ritsu with a worried look on her face, "Uhm...Senpai?"

Ritsu was speechless for a few seconds.

"...What in the world... just happened..."

Aoi looked at her and said nothing for a minute. "Don't worry," Aoi said cheerfully, "By the time this is over, they will all know that you belong to one girl."

"Huh?" Ritsu glanced at a couple of girls near her locker, distracted.

"Nah, nothing," Aoi said with a smile.

* * *

Clearly, a teacher whose hobby is dressing up her students like Barbie dolls never learns to clear up her act.

"Janice, let me tell you something..." Sawako said, "Dressing up Mio is a lot more fun than anything."

Even worse when she has a partner in crime.

"More fun than dressing up Ritsu?"

"Well, we should've thrown away that hair band, given half a chance..."

It was two days before the 'princess' elimination round, and Mio was practicing at Mugi's house, as usual.

However, she was completely at loss of words at the sight of the two uninvited guests.

"Mio-chan, I'm sorry," Mugi whispered to her, "This is with good cause, really! Since we need to decide..."

Mio stood up from her seat and said, "Sorry, Mugi, I'm going home."

"Where are you going, Mio-chan...?" Sawako said, her eyes flashing with excitement.

"I...I'll make tea!" Mugi said as she hurriedly ran out of the room.

"N-no, Mugi! Don't leave me!" Mio whined.

"Get your camera ready, Janice," Sawako sneered, obviously taking a cavalier attitude to Mio's tearful face.

"Yes, Ma'am!" Janice obeyed, as if she were a soldier being ordered by her commander, "Without blitz like last time?"

"...Last time?" Mio whimpered.

"Little Ritsu is so fun to strip..." Sawako whispered, "You can see her photos after this, Mio. She's such a shy kid without that hair band of hers. And I saw her XXX..."

The imagination Sawako offered was too much to bear and soon enough Mio found herself clamping her nose with her hands.

Sawako hovered above her, smirking. "Do you know what I said to her last time...?"

"W...what...?" Mio stuttered.

"I said to her I would show her YOUR photos, too."

* * *

The first bitchy comment on the day of the elimination round of the Sakuragaoka 'princess' contest came from Ritsu Tainaka and it went like this: "...Seriously, these people are insane."

"Ready, everyone? One...two..."

"_MI . OOOOOOOOO_ !"

The loud encores of Mio fangirls almost deafened everyone in the backstage as Sawako snuck a peek at the crowd with an annoyed look on her face.

"What the hell...The contest hasn't even started yet."

"Mio-chan, your fans are everywhere!" Mugi said excitedly.

Mio winced. As the time of her performance drew nearer, she slowly became more and more of a nervous wreck. She had caught her thumb in a door, bumped into random walls, and almost tripped on the same cable twice. And now, she lost her ability to talk normally.

"U...uhm...d-do...do...I look w-weird...?"

As much as she liked (yes, she _did _like the clothes Sawako lent to her this time _a bit_, although she was quite hesitant to admit it) the pretty and chic one-piece dress with an air of gothic that was nothing less than perfect, the belt that was tied into a huge ribbon on her back, the turquoise-colored tights (which Yui suggested), the cute mini top hat, and everything else she had been clothed in for almost two hours...her self-confidence was still far below average...

"Nah..." someone behind her said, "You look gorgeous..."

Her heart missed a beat. She turned around and it missed another.

"Mio-chan," Ritsu said, flashing her a grin.

She didn't care even if Ritsu had no clothes sense, if it was Ritsu who liked what she was wearing... she became speechless.

...Now she _completely_ lost her ability to talk.

"Mio-chan!" Yui's head popped out from behind Ritsu, "You look so cute!"

"Any suggestions for our poor girl here, 'prince'?" Sawako smirked.

Ritsu scowled. "Uh...I dunno. She's perfect. Just remember one thing, though," she pointed at the door toward the stage, "Although this is a popularity contest, there are still those so-called 'judges' up there who will watch your performance. Probably from the sponsor. These people are strict. I mean like, FREAKING strict. Don't come on stage late. They won't tolerate any minute of your lateness. If you're not on stage when you name's called, you're out."

Mugi suddenly remembered something. "Oh, like that basketball girl."

"Yeah, thank God she doesn't mind it very much..." Ritsu said, shaking her head, "By the way, Mugi, seen Azusa anywhere?"

"No, she's not here..." Mugi said, clearing away at the nearby table, "Is there something wrong?"

"Azusa had just given Yui guitar lessons today, and then she forgot her pick in the music room. And...I've bought taiyaki for her..." Ritsu said, showing them a small paper bag, "...oh, and no, no, Mugi, thanks, you don't need to...I'm not here for tea..."

"She might be outside," Yui said, clearing off, "Let's look for her!"

"Hey, Yui, wait up!" Ritsu called, before turning to Mio and said, "Good luck."

Mio felt something clogging up her throat. Ritsu grinned naughtily at her and said, "But don't flash your shimapan again like last time!"

It took only one smack...and Mio's voice immediately came back to normal.

* * *

Azusa isn't really fond of cats, but she knows how to walk like one. That kind of walk which doesn't make any sound. That kind of walk which is extremely useful when you're following someone.

She cautioned herself against walking too fast. Silence was what worked best right now.

Aoi Fujii was reading a sign on one of the doors at the backstage.

She sniggered.

Aoi talked to one of the students standing beside the door, and went inside the room.

Azusa narrowed her eyes. She knew this could mean a good thing...or a bad thing, as the case may be.

It was the "Contestant Preparation Room".

* * *

Nodoka felt awful.

Not only because the staff had suddenly come running to her in total panic, but also because she didn't really know how to explain the difficult situation to her poor friend. The girl had been showing worrying hints of extreme stress for some time...and Nodoka had to horribly climax it with this. However, she had no other choice.

"Akiyama-san!"

The long-haired girl, who had been cowering at one of the backstage corners and confusing the staff who were about to clear up the corner for almost half an hour now, turned around shakily and said, "N-Nodoka? I-I'm up next...r-right?"

Nodoka was hesitant, but she could do nothing but tell her. "Uh...Listen! We've got trouble!" she said, "Your guitar...it's missing...we can't find your guitar anywhere!"

Mio's heart sank. Nodoka cursed under her breath when she saw Mio's expression. How could she be so careless...how could she let this happen...?

"But..." Mio said in disbelief, "But it was there! I put it there! Someone must have taken it!"

"I'm sorry, Akiyama-san, but we've already cleared out the whole preparation room. It's really nowhere in there," she said adamantly, "And it's only a few minutes left until your turn..."

Mio's head spun. Screams of fans outside, and the fact that her guitar was gone, acted like a catalyst for her complete break-down and stage-fright.

"I'll tell Sawako-sensei!"

"Don't!" Mio cried. Her sight became blurry as tears flooded her eyes. "It's useless now, I can't do this!"

"Akiyama-san, what...? You can still sing!" Nodoka cried. She couldn't believe it, how could the popular Mio Akiyama cling on to a single guitar...? "Don't be so pessimistic!"

"I'm NOT being pessimistic!" she cried back, closing to tears, "That guitar...that guitar is..."

The soul of her song...her very own song... She couldn't sing without it...she feared she would dissappoint her fans...without music to back up her vocals her singing would definitely feel plain...and she could never beat four or five other people who had showed prolific singing performances of their own...including Aoi. Their singing was even in a different class from hers, many of them have well-trained voices and followed singing courses. She would never beat them if she only relied on her singing ability, but there was definitely not enough time to find another left-handed guitar.

And Aoi...she was even in a class of her own.

Aoi would be far superior to her...in Ritsu's eyes.

She felt terrible, her nervousness had reached such toxic levels that she could no longer control her panic, and she could barely feel her stomach as it burnt painfully with nausea...

This was far, far worse than when she was about to perform with the K-on club for the first time... _She couldn't take this anymore...she felt she was about to cry..._

'Calm down...' she told herself, 'Calm down, Mio, calm down...'

She had to bite back the sadness and fear welling up inside her, she had to...

"_You look gorgeous, Mio-chan_..."

That soft voice rang inside her mind like tinkles of little small bells. It gave her that indescribable feeling...that she never felt to anyone else before...

Then she remembered her encouraging smile...

"_Don't flash your shimapan again like last time!"_

If there was anything more effective than any tranquilizer in the world, it was her voice...

'Idiot...why are you always in my mind when I'm about to cry...?' she shook her head.

'I have to ged rid of you...' she thought, 'I'll get through this on my own...!'

"Akiyama-san?"

Mio quickly gazed up and pulled out her cell. Nodoka saw her bring it to her ear, and speak with such clear and confident voice which contrasted her voice from before...

"Hello, Yui. Do you bring Giitah?"

* * *

_Ritsu, you idiot...you completely turned my life upside-down..._

"Everyone...! Give a loud applause for...Mio Akiyamaa!"

Mio couldn't hear the loud noise and shocked murmurs of the crowd as she walked toward the center of the stage where a standing mike was already set upright...

"Oh my gosh..."

"The guitar..."

"What's with the guitar...?"

"Isn't it normal guitar?"

"You don't know? She's..."

"Left-handed!"

"Never seen her play a guitar or any right-handed instruments!"

"Is she serious? Using an instrument that gives her a disadvantage in a contest like this...?"

"This is definitely gonna be interesting!"

The steps she took to the center of the stage felt like an endless journey, and she could feel the stares of the people and the bright lights burning her whole body like flames...

There were so many people watching her on that stage, ten, twenty, thirty... she lost count after clocking up more than forty.

Mio closed her sweaty fingers around the mike. The crowd cheered even louder, but Mio couldn't help herself to look at the direction of her classmates...where a pair of amber eyes were staring intently at her...and out came her whisper... "Mio...what the hell are you thinking...?"

_This is the stupidest thing I've done for an idiot like you..._

"What are you going to show us?"

But Mio didn't answer. All of a sudden, everything, even the tears that clogged her throat, and everyone... didn't matter anymore...

_...Therefore...Ritsu..._

...Except for one girl...

_...Listen!_

A single strum on the Gibson Les Paul was enough to make everyone jump on their feet in excitement, screaming her name as she opened her mouth and sang...

_It's deep deep, deep in my heart_

_There was a sanctuary where nothing resounded_

_Heat heat, it caught on fire, so I can't return_

"She plays it..."

"...while singing."

"_No. Way._"

"She's really playing it right-handed!"

"So cool!"

"She's awesome!"

"C'mon, everyone!"

"Mio Akiyamaaaaa!"

_It's shock shock, a shockwave that I send you_

_Saying, "Hey, let's go everywhere together"_

_rock rock, the storm and tsunami of sound invite each other_

Her hands shook slightly as she played...chord after chord...This might be the first and the last time she did something so absurd, so risky...so out of her character, singing without a bass in her hands...even without using a left-handed guitar...

She admitted it was hard...but she wanted to do this...

She wouldn't let her efforts for seven days go wasted...

She would not close the book on this!

_A dropped pick, a broken stick_

_Aren't problems at all_

_We're within the same sound, and that's actually a miracle!_

The girls were all dancing and waving their arms in the air...all of them, except one.

Aoi Fujii was standing at the farthest corner of that room and a good few metres away clear of the crowd, almost invisible in the darkness...as she glared daggers at the tall girl on the stage, whom so many girls in that room cheered and praised as if she were a goddess...

However, apparently she was not as invisible as she thought.

"Anything isn't going as you've planned...?"

She glanced sharply to her left and saw Azusa Nakano standing several steps away from her, her expression rigid and her fists firmly clenched...

Beneath the dim illumination from the stage, and the roars of the crowd...the two girls, standing in close proximity, continued to stare at each other with equally stiff expression...as if they both had been waiting to talk face-to-face, with no unnecessary intrusion from their other club members...

_We'll sing, we'll sing out loud to our hearts' content_

_No matter how quiet the song is_

_It's the one and only song in the world_

Aoi could find no clear-cut answer to her question.

"What are you talking about...?" Aoi hissed.

Azusa frowned. All these people around them...none of them knew who Aoi really was. They only knew her as an exceptionally talented and well-mannered idol. She wondered what would happen to the climate of opinion if only they knew...

"Your plan to avoid Mio-senpai from performing on-stage failed, right...?" she continued, "Mio-senpai can play with her right hand...Mugi-senpai told me Sawako-sensei has trained her to play a right-handed guitar in case something like this happens..."

_I want to live with all my might_

_So much that I won't regret it even if I die today_

"Mugi-senpai has already guessed your evil tricks..." Azusa said through clenched teeth, "...I guess we've finally won a bet from you, huh?"

Aoi smirked. "She doesn't look so confident playing it right-handed...It's terrible. Her pitch is all ruined," she said, giving her a contemptuous look.

_Release, passionate_

"I've known some things about you, Aoi," Azusa said, "You were dropped out of your old school... because you injured someone in your club, right...?"

Aoi's expression was hidden in the darkness, but Azusa felt a surge of pride in her mind...

"Why, that's not quite a nice story to be spread around..." Aoi said slowly.

_This is our PRECIOUS Heart Beat_

Azusa's temper rose. This girl...her feeling to this girl was close to...no, the feeling she bore for this girl was nothing but hatred.

"I won't let you harm anybody," she shouted, "Whether it's Mio-senpai, or anybody else in my club...!"

_We'll sing, TREASURE Heart Beat..._

Silence followed, and although she couldn't see her face, Azusa knew Aoi was shooting her an angry, threatening glare.

_...Listen!_

The loud shouts and encores as the song ended almost drowned Aoi's voice completely, but Azusa could still hear it...so clear as if she were whispering next to her ear.

"Azusa Nakano...birthday 11th November."

Azusa's breath caught in her throat.

"...Sign: Scorpio, birthplace: Saitama, blood type: AB, weight: 46 kg, height: 150 cm, parents: Shigure and Kuchika Nakano, parents' profession: jazz musicians, specialty: guitar, status: single, only child..."

Azusa gaped. She was so shocked that she was temporarily silenced, and Aoi definitely noticed this with glee...

"That's just little of the information I know..." Aoi said menacingly, "It's never too hard for us to obtain your profile and any detailed information about you. Don't think you're safe after you already found out the truth."

Azusa clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white.

She blurted out, "You're such a cruel, insane..."

"Shut up, little cat," Aoi snapped, "Anybody that gets in the way between me and Ritsu...deserves to die."

* * *

A/N:

Little trivia:

1) Yes, that is really the translated lyrics of Listen!. Got it from a few sources.

2) Never got a REAL confirmation on this but my friend said "Listen!" got some elements of "speedy ska".

3) Azusa's birthday, sign, blood type, weight, and height are not made up by me. Got them from her official character profile card.

"Why did Mio call Yui instead of Azu-nyan...?" is the first thing my friend asked to me after reading this. Well, Mio had come out to Yui, remember? Because of that, Mio was reminded only of Yui after thinking about Ritsu. Makes sense? XD *shot*

I hope I've captured Mio's inferiority complex quite well. The concept for Mio's performance has actually changed a few times, although I always make her sing to strengthen her rivalry with Aoi. "Listen!" at first was not the song Mio chose, and initially, she was gonna play Elizabeth, with Mugi and Janice helping her with the background music. But then I think it might be better if she made a surprise to the audience by standing alone on the stage while playing...Giitah? *shot* Please excuse this lame author...

Last note: out of energy... needs some sleep... please review everyone...! I hope you all love this chapter...! thx for reading!


	10. Chapter 10: Dissension

A/N: Anyone up for a MiTsuGi? ? XD *shot*

Episode 14 of season 2 rocked half of the K-on yuri fandom in such an amusing way I was practically laughing all through the sudden "who-suits-Ritsu-better-Mugi-or-Mio" pairing war around the net, while the other half...drooled all over Ritsu and or MiTsu in the new ED.

...I think I'm the latter half of the fandom XD

And now...bring out the new chapter!

* * *

Chapter 10: Dissension

The first time Mio knew that Ritsu valued their club much more than she thought was in the middle of one of their boring study sessions when she asked her that silly question with a terribly weird expression...

"Mio...do you know that I love Yui...?"

Mio's pencil slipped from her left hand.

"...Excuse me?"

Ritsu snorted as she saw Mio's face and said, "I mean, not just Yui, I love everyone! I love everyone in our club, it's just like one big family, don't you think...?"

Mio stared at her for a minute. Did she really have to interrupt her work just to ask her that question...? "Ritsu, you totally sound like one of those cartoon characters on TV who..."

Ritsu, obviously pissed when Mio didn't give her the reaction she wanted, frowned at her and grunted, "Aw, shut up. I bet you're gonna cry when we separate!"

Mio looked startled. "Don't say that! I...I don't want us to separate...I really don't..."

"Haha, see? I want to hang around with you guys..." she said pleasantly, "Forever and ever!"

Mio observed her peaceful expression and smiled. "We're not gonna separate...right...?"

Ritsu grinned and said, "...Like hell we will!"

* * *

No sooner had Mio entered the clubroom than four crackers welcomed her arrival with a loud pop, and Yui gave her a big hug while shouting, "Congratulations, Mio-chan! You made it!"

Mio was shaking, but very pleased with their surprise. "T-t-t-t-t-thank you."

"Three cheers for Mio!" Ritsu said, grinning as she raised her glass of soda, "As expected from our celebrated bassist! Chalking up a win is a piece of cake!"

"E-everyone..." Mio looked as she was about to cry, "Thank you...thank you for everything."

The four girls gave her a wide, sincere smile. "Aww...Mio."

"Where's Ao-chan?" Mugi asked, setting some cups on the table, "She made it to the finals, too, didn't she?"

"She said she had something to do today," Ritsu said, sitting cross-legged on her chair while reading her manga, "I met Sawa-chan, too, just now. She's off to buy something on sale today..."

Yui suddenly snapped to attention when she heard that. "Then, Ricchan, you don't have plans with Ao-chan?" she asked excitedly.

"No, why d'ya ask?" Ritsu asked, peering curiously at her.

Yui threw a playful glance toward Mio and Ritsu and said, "Then why don't you have lunch together, just the two of you?"

"Y-Yui!" Mio gushed, blushing.

"Why just the two of us?" Ritsu asked, raising her eyebrows, "It'll be boring...And we'll look like a pair of lesbian couple, you know..."

Azusa was amazed. She initially thought it was an outside chance she could find a loud-mouthed person like Ritsu who could keep her feelings and emotions at bay, but she made certain that Ritsu could definitely meet the challenge of expressing opinions which were the opposite of what she really wanted to say.

Too busy admiring Ritsu for actually somethingfor the first time in her life, Azusa missed her chance to see the most suspicious expression Mio had had the whole day...

"Why not, Ricchan? It's not like you're gonna get pushed without ceremony out of the cafe or anything..."

"But it's still no fun," Ritsu said, pouting, "We should go together, right, Mio?"

"Eh? O-of course!" she blurted out.

"Aw, Mio-chan," Yui made a puppy face which Mio could only perceive as, 'Why didn't you take this big chance...?'

"Yui, please..." Mio said to her under her breath.

Yui had made a good job so far in keeping Mio's crush on Ritsu a secret. Mio had never thought she could entrust her secret to Yui, but it seemed that she could be in her confidence much better than she had previously thought. Mio was really grateful of that.

"In that case, why don't we visit Bogus Cafe again to celebrate? You haven't gone there, yet, right, Mio-chan?" Mugi asked.

Mio looked interested, but Ritsu didn't seem to think it was a good idea. "B-Bogus...? The problem is, I'm financially challenged right now, Mugi..." Ritsu said.

"You must have channeled your whole money this month into mangas, right?" Mio said, jabbing a finger in the direction of the manga she was holding.

She quickly dropped it on her lap as if she were caught stealing something red-handed. "S-shut up! Actually, mangas almost came second," Ritsu said, "I mean, the food in that cafe's delicious alright, but the price makes it like a delicacy for people of a certain age who can lightly treat their friends while saying 'I'll charge it!'!"

"You're babbling nonsense."

"Ricchan, you don't own credit cards?"

"Like hell my mom will let me!"

"Ui won't let me, either."

"Don't tell me Ui has one and you don't."

"She has two."

"Is Ui your Mom? !"

"Anyways, the price of the food in that hellish cafe is still too much for my wallet!"

"Uhm, guys," Mugi piped up, "I'll charge it."

Problem solved.

"You should've said that way earlier, Mugi-senpai..." Azusa remarked.

* * *

The station was packed with people when they arrived. Busy-looking men and women carrying heavy suitcases walked briskly past the girls as they were buying tickets before waiting for the train on the platform. The people waiting there were a little different. There were schoolgirls like them, families, and young teenagers wearing thick jackets. Ritsu and Yui, soon become bored of waiting, began to walk around looking for something interesting to see. Ritsu's gaze wandered from the people around them to the ceiling.

"You see this part of this station here? My mom said it's just renovated, and it's terrible. It's not in character with the rest of the building," Ritsu complained.

Yui raised her head and looked up. "Oh, you're right! The ceiling looks off."

Ritsu cocked her head and said, "I wonder if the architect was drunk when he..."

"C'mon, guys, stop wandering around, the train's coming!" Mio called. She felt a fresh wave of distress as she looked at the two girls. Does she always have to look after them wherever they go...? Or maybe...Mio felt slightly irritated because Ritsu showed no signs of remembering what she had done...and almost done... to Mio in this station after she saved her from a bunch of hoodlums...while Mio... had been having a hard time looking at her direction ever since they stepped into the station.

"Yes, Sensei," Ritsu huffed.

...Yeah, she certainly didn't remember it at all...

"Gee, look what time it is already..." Mio took a glance at her cell and saw a message in her inbox.

She opened it. It was from Aoi.

'3.00 PM. Outside Bogus Cafe. Don't tell the others.'

Mio stared at the message.

...What did she want her to do? Did this mean she wanted to see her at this time and place...? If that was true...how on earth did she know they were going to the Cafe...?

She typed back, 'What for?'...but received no reply even during the whole train ride.

* * *

Azusa never really likes it when she hangs out with a bunch of school kids. And it is even worse when she has to hang out with high schoolers who _act_ like a bunch of school kids.

"Look, look, Yui, it's all black outside!"

"We're in a tunnel!" Yui cried, prancing up to the window.

"Woohoo!"

Azusa sighed. At least Aoi was not here to worsen her mood. She thought she could spend her time this afternoon with no Aoi included.

She was very, very wrong.

* * *

"...It's big," Mio commented.

It was indeed a luxurious cafe. Located inside a huge two-level building with its violet-painted wall, the flickering little lights by the window sills, and the eye-catching sign of its name right above the majestic entrance, the cafe was a perfect combination of a clubhouse and an elitist cafe from the outside.

"C'mon, let's go inside! Maybe we're lucky and we're the one thousandth guests or something, and we can get something for free!"

"Osh, Ricchan!"

"Are you guys living on charity? !"

"Senpai, don't run too fast!"

Mio was about to chase after Azusa, but she stopped. She stared at the alley beside the cafe. She swore she had just seen someone there.

"Mio-chan?" Mugi asked, following Mio's gaze, "...Is there something in that place?"

There was definitely someone... a slender figure... wearing a blazer...school uniform...?

Aoi...?

She quickly peeked at her cell. It was already 3.00 PM.

"Mugi, tell the others, I'll be right back!"

"Eh...? Mio-chan!" But before Mugi could ask anything, Mio had disappeared into the narrow alley.

* * *

"We have a lucky program this week. If you can get a gold ball in this Lucky Draw you can eat our special sundae as much as you want," the well-dressed waiter explained.

"Whoa..." Yui said in awe as she touched the little lottery machine.

Ritsu thought for a while before saying, "Yui, you try it."

"Eh? Me?" Yui said, her eyes shifting between Ritsu and the machine.

"I've never been living a charmed life, so... I suck in lottery," Ritsu said, pushing Yui forward.

"...O-okay! Here I go!" Yui said, punching her fist to the air.

"Everyone, let's cheer for Yui!" Ritsu said, turning to Mugi and Azusa.

"Go Yui! Go Yui! Go Yui!"

"Ohh! My energy is rising!" Yui cried, clenching the handle in her hand, "Here I come, gold ball!"

She turned the handle and the girls held their breath as a single ball rolled down in front of them.

It was a small, glittering white ball.

"Ahh...a pity."

"Does this mean I'm living an unlucky life like Ricchan? !"

"Hey!"

"Mister, let me try one more time!"

"Sorry, Miss, we only allow one chance per customer."

"Ehh? ? Why?"

Ritsu and Yui kept on whining and begging for another chance before the waiter finally asked them to sit down on the table nearest to the entrance with an unusually clipped tone and shot them an annoyed look while he was taking their orders. No sooner had he walked away from their table with a brisk 'please wait' than Ritsu started calling him names under her breath which made her companions giggle silently.

However, it didn't change the fact that they didn't win even a single scoop of ice cream.

"Aah, this sucks," Ritsu slumped down on her chair beside Mugi as Azusa and Yui sat opposite of them, "Aoi's an expert in this. She should've brought her here so we can win a lot of ice cream."

Just hearing the name mentioned by Ritsu ticked Azusa off.

"...Everyone," she said suddenly, "I want to talk with you about something."

The other girls stared curiously at her.

"Don't you realize Aoi's not that nice a girl?" Azusa was sure she was the only one who had been keeping a close eye on her list of crimes...but they might all had noticed the fakeness in her actions and sweet smiles...after all these weeks.

"Azu-nyan..." Yui barely whispered her name, but Azusa knew from her expression that she was not going to approve what she was about to tell them.

"Uhm...Lately...I think about that, too," Mugi said, hesitantly raising her hand.

"Mugi-chan!" Yui said, surprised.

Azusa, feeling more confident now that she had someone that supported her opinion, immediately said, "See? You know what, she hid Mio-senpai's guitar before the contest!"

Ritsu looked quite clueless that this topic arose. "Can you prove-"

"She's hiding her true self. Actually, she hates us all," Azusa interrupted.

"You mean, she wants to ruin our club?" Ritsu asked bemusedly, "You're making rash accusa-"

"I'm not making it up!" Azusa said, "Don't you know she injured someone in her club before she came here?"

Nobody said anything. Azusa soon got carried away...

"...And she's so stubborn! She never cares of anybody but herself. She keeps on doing what she wants without thinking of other people's feelings. Doesn't she know that Ritsu-senpai likes- - !"

"AZUSA...! ! !"

Azusa flinched. Ritsu had cried her name so loudly that several people in the cafe were now looking at them.

Azusa looked at her, startled. Ritsu's eyes now awfully resembled her eyes when she ran away from Takahashi last time. There was a small glint of madness in her eyes...

"...If you just want to babble whatever's inside your mind...I have to ask you something," she said slowly, "Yui, Azusa..."

Her tone of voice changed. "...Why don't you tell me anything about Mio's problem...?"

Azusa's eyes widened. Why was she still thinking about that...? "Ritsu-senpai, I've told you that she was crying because of..."

All of a sudden Yui wrapped her arms around Azusa's shoulders. "Sorry, Ricchan, I can't tell you," Yui broke in.

Azusa turned at her, astonished. "Yui-senpai?"

"Azu-nyan, be quiet," Yui whispered to her before turning to Ritsu, "I've promised Mio-chan I will always keep it a secret."

Ritsu didn't quite expect this. "What? But you ought to tell me! I'm her..."

"I promised to keep it a secret just between the two of us."

All of the other visitors of the cafe, with the exception of the couples, and even the waiters and waitresses, were now glancing at them, obviously listening to their conversation.

"The two of 'you'...?" she said. Her tone of voice clearly showed her surging anger.

"No, Senpai...!" Azusa said frantically. She had no idea of what Yui was about to say, but she had a bad feeling it would only worsen the tension between them.

"Ricchan, I'm sorry," Yui said, "It's about...love and such...it's our secret, that's why I can't tell you."

For awhile Ritsu kept silent, but even Azusa could feel that she was trying as hard as she could to suppress her emotions, as the fact that Yui was being close about something related to love and Mio began to sink in. But Ritsu was not someone who could keep herself centered for long when she was in an extremely vulnerable situation like now. She would eventually lose it, just like when she came out to Azusa in tears...

And if there is one thing in this whole world that could make even Ritsu Tainaka forgets all about her friendship with Yui Hirasawa...it is her feelings for Mio Akiyama. And Azusa knew...that Ritsu didn't realize this at all as jealousy and disappointment flooded her mind, driving her senseless...

"...So you and Mio have been hiding something from me all this time! I thought we're friends! Big deal! !" she spat, losing her temper.

"Ritsu-senpai!" Azusa called.

"Ricchan, calm down!" Mugi said, but Ritsu ignored her.

'No...' Azusa thought as she looked at Ritsu's flushed face, 'She's jealous...she's so jealous of Yui-senpai that she can't think properly anymore...'

Even if she didn't know Yui's sexual orientation, she certainly thought Yui had betrayed her, her anger multiplied by her sadness and jealousy as she slowly lost her mind. It was an even worse shock for her that it was _Yui_ who she thought had done it, because Yui was someone whom she trusted completely, someone who she thought was a true friend...

Azusa realized she had made a terrible mistake by setting up the worst possible situation for Ritsu to keep her common sense...

And although Azusa didn't know it...it was even more painful for Ritsu that Mio didn't tell her the "truth"...that Mio came running to Yui instead of her...that Mio didn't seem to confide in her anymore...

Mugi's eyes shifted back and forth from Ritsu's agonized expression to Yui's worried, sorrowful one.

She was flustered. Why were her friends fighting like this...? ...Could something like this conversation change her friends...?

Mugi suddenly remembered Aoi, and she felt a terrible feeling inside her stomach...

"Just tell me what you two have done..." Ritsu said.

But Yui seemed to disagree with her. "I can't," Yui muttered, "Mio-chan will be very sad when I do...and she will, too, if she sees you like this, Ricchan..."

Azusa could almost see fire blazing in Ritsu's eyes. She stood up from her chair in rage. "What do you know about Mio! ?" she shouted, "I know more...I've known her longer than you...she's my...my..."

She looked as if she was trying to endure the agony of accepting what she was about to say with her whole heart. "...my childhood friend! !"

Everything in her voice screamed desperately, 'Don't take Mio away from me...!'

Yui and Ritsu...they had always been connected by a close bond and therefore not used to keeping secrets from each other. 'In this rate...' Azusa thought, 'The bond they share will break apart.'

...Just like Aoi wanted.

After a moment of painful silence, Ritsu walked away and cleared out of their table, leaving her three companions without saying anything else.

"Ricchan!" Mugi called, giving chase.

Azusa realized a fatal mistake had just been made. "Yui-senpai!" Azusa said angrily.

"Azu-nyan..."

Azusa knew, as she looked at that pair of sad eyes, that Yui never meant to cause any fights. But at that moment, Ritsu was not the only one overcome by temper.

"I don't know if Mio-senpai did tell you something or not, but you've just caused a misunderstanding!" she said loudly, not caring of the watching eyes around her, "And don't you see? This is all because of that Aoi! If she hadn't come here, none of this would have happened!"

"No, Azu-nyan, don't..."

Yui held out her arms to hug her, but Azusa moved away swiftly from her.

"I won't stop!" Azusa said, "I won't stop until you believe everything I said about her, and I won't stop until you realize that I'm right!"

* * *

"Aoi...is that you...?" Mio called out. Her voice echoed through the deserted alley, and she was getting frightened and unsure with her decision. The alley was dirty and dark, and there were pieces of junk scattered randomly along the way. Mio shivered as she noticed some charred remains of a burnt-out car near her feet. She had to get out of this place as fast as she could or she wouldn't be able to sleep at all that night.

"Yeah...it's me," a voice came from the shadows not far from her, "Mio-senpai."

Mio swore her voice almost made her jump in fright, but she pretended to remain calm.

"Uhm...what's wrong?" Mio said, not really knowing what she should say, "The others are eating at the cafe, why don't we go there?"

Aoi kept silent, ignoring her offer. Instead of replying, she said, "...I heard you."

"Eh?" Mio didn't understand.

"...I heard you..." she said coldly, "...coming out to Yui-senpai."

Mio's heart felt heavy. Somebody other than Yui had actually found out her secret...? "...You...heard...?"

"Yes, I heard," she said, her voice shaking, "And now I know everything... I've been so ignorant and stupid...telling all my feelings to you, while all this time you've been lying to me..."

Mio felt how terrible it was when she realized she had made Aoi feel fooled and betrayed, and how everything she said was painfully close to home...

"You've been making fun of my feelings..." she choked out, "Encouraging me with your cloying sweet words...You even dared to join the contest and hinder me..."

"No, Aoi, it's not..."

"_I've TRUSTED you...! ! !_"

Pieces of roughly torn paper with the names "Mio" and "Ritsu" written on them were thrown in front of Mio's eyes, while Aoi's shout echoed multiple times in the alley as crows flew over their heads with their eerie shrieks to the cloudless sky.

"What are these you wrote then...?" she said, "I've felt it since the beginning...but for once...I want to trust somebody...because Ritsu-senpai...Ritsu-senpai said you're straight so I thought it's gonna be alright...but you have betrayed me..."

"I didn't betray you!" Mio said without thinking.

Aoi didn't look in the least assured. "You did! If I beg you to stop loving her, will you do it? !"

The question had a very clear-cut answer. "I...I can't."

"...You're a cheater, Mio Akiyama," she said dangerously, "We must settle this once and for all. Let's make a final bet, Mio."

It was the moment when Mio seriously felt the need to run as fast as she could. She had never seen Aoi so furious, so horrifying...as her eyes slowly turned like those of a wild animal...

"...final bet...?"

"If I win the contest, you will not, ever, to be near Ritsu-senpai for the rest of your life," she said, "And vice versa."

Aoi was looking at her with such a terrifying gaze that Mio could feel her fury and hatred boring deep into her flesh. She almost didn't dare to return that evil gaze... but she still managed to speak...

"...If I refuse this bet...?"

It was like the small girl in front of her had suddenly transformed herself into a beast with no mercy...

"I'll kill you...!"

* * *

A/N: Bittersweet. Now you know what this chapter's title all about...although I like this chap, I feel terrible writing this...because K-on is always all about friendship (T_T). But this is part of the plot...and no worries, I guarantee that there will be no bad end.

What do you think about this chapter? Please give me your opinions ^^

Stay tuned, everyone! And thanks for reading!


	11. Chapter 11: Final Round

A/N: So first let me tell you that this is my take of what would happen after all those that had occurred in chapter 10. I just think that when their minds are clear (unlike last time) none of the K-on girls are the type that displays their quarrels so explicitly in front of someone else like Sawako, for instance.

Sure, dramatic stories would make Ritsu stop coming to the clubroom or whatnot, but I suppose Ritsu is not that childish (she must have tried to understand her best friends' actions after her mind had calmed down) (and in case someone forgets, in episode 11 she stopped coming because she was sick, KyoAni was just being dramatic with the girls' dialogue the day before Mio's visit), although she was not mature enough to either apologize to Yui or ask, fearing to find out the truth.

I experienced something like this when I was a part of a group who got along really, really well and almost never fought, and when we did, a part of us wanted to forget all about our disagreements but the other part did not, so it ended up awkward.

* * *

Chapter 11: Final Round

Where am I...?

...It's all...dark.

"Mio..."

...That voice...

"Mio..."

...I know... that voice...

That is...

"Mio...wake up, you sleepyhead!"

She was stunned at the sudden sight of the bright sunlight.

It took her awhile to recognize where she was.

...The classroom. She was sitting on her favorite desk by the window, with her head resting on one arm. Slowly, she took a look around and found out that the class was empty. School had obviously been over.

It seemed that she had practically dozed off during class.

Wait, wasn't the last class Kohaku-sensei's...? How come could she miraculously avoid being punished...?

"You seem to have a huge amount of luck today..."

Mio turned her head and saw the fourteen-year-old Ritsu Tainaka standing next to her desk, wearing her usual sailor uniform and her trademark hair band.

"Yeah..." Mio mumbled as she rubbed her eye, "The race is over then...? How is it...?"

Ritsu puffed out her chest triumphantly. "Of course I win!" she announced, "You should've watched me run!"

"Ooh..." Mio didn't look too impressed, "Really?"

"Well...actually the result is a bit...too close to call, so..." Ritsu said in a hushed voice, "...I'm actually a little lucky today, too..."

"...I knew it. There's no way you can beat Ran Aizawa," Mio said bluntly.

"Hey, it's a close thing. At least praise me a bit, will ya?" Ritsu said with a blank expression on her face, "Because this is gonna be the last time we meet."

Mio blinked. "Eh?"

"I came to tell you...I'm not going to Sakuragaoka High School..." Ritsu explained, "I'm going to move to Himetsubaki High School in Tokyo."

Mio was taken aback.

"Himetsubaki...?" she repeated, "But isn't that...haven't you just clued me in yesterday that now it's a cliquey school with a bad reputation for letting majority of its students drink and go clubbing every night? ? Are you serious? ?"

"I'm totally serious, Mio," Ritsu said with a determined face.

Mio stared at her. There must be some kind of mistake. There was already a fairly nice high school close at hand, and she chose to go to _Himetsubaki _High School...?

"...You're kidding, right? Why would you go to such a...school?" Mio said.

"Actually..." she said shyly, "My girlfriend is going to move there."

Mio felt like a heavy stone was dropped into her stomach. "Your girl..."

"Ritsu-senpai!"

A pretty, petite girl with her beautiful auburn bangs falling on her face came and attached herself to Ritsu's arm, smiling blissfully as her reddish-brown eyes glittered beneath the sunlight.

"Hey, Aoi," Ritsu said softly and kissed her on the lips.

At that very moment, Mio felt her mind was being wiped out by the sight of Ritsu kissing Aoi. However, it wasn't long before she cluttered her head back with anxiety and disbelief.

As she looked at them, completely at loss of words, Aoi suddenly turned to face her and whispered triumphantly, "I win, Mio."

She slowly moved away from Ritsu. "I've had her in my clutches... She's mine now," she hissed, "You don't stand a chance."

Mio opened her mouth to speak, but her voice wouldn't come out. She looked in terror as her desk and everything in the brightly-lit classroom began to disappear into the darkness, leaving only her and Aoi. She thought nothing else could confuse her cluttered mind even more, but no, before she knew it, she suddenly saw ten Aois clustering around her, all of whom had the same menacing, contemptuous look...

"Don't ever show yourself in front of Ritsu-senpai again...! ! !" they said in an eerie chorus.

Mio was startled. Then she saw four girls standing behind the Aoi doppelgangers...her friends in the K-on club. Mio wanted to shout out for help, but she found herself unable to. It was like her vocal chords had been completely cut off.

Then she saw Azusa turned to her and said with a clear voice, "...It is because of your dishonesty that we are fighting like now, Senpai. "

Mugi followed, her voice echoed in the darkness, "Azusa-chan is right. You're such a terrible friend for keeping secrets from us..."

Yui, who was eating a cookie coated with chocolate, said to her with a smile, "I'm sorry, Mio-chan, but apparently Ricchan doesn't want you!"

Everything her friends said was a thousand times more painful in her heart than in her ears...and as she fell on her knees, she looked at the face of the person who was her last hope...the person whom was so deeply in love with...

Ritsu gave her a look of pity, and Mio noticed a slight hint of disgust written all over her face...

"...I'm sorry, Mio."

Then she felt like her heart was torn into pieces, leaving her with such a terrible pain that it immediately woke her up from the nightmare.

She was unable to sleep again that night.

* * *

For the next several days, Mio couldn't help but notice that the members of her club were acting quite distant from each other. Sure, they talked and practiced normally, but there was something like a barrier they created between themselves that Mio couldn't describe. Even she and Aoi acted almost as if nothing happened, but from her tone and her expression, Mio knew she was still mad at her.

Yui hugged Azusa with a much less frequency than usual, and this was her only noticeable change. Otherwise, she just spoke cheerily with everyone as usual.

Azusa gave Yui a cold shoulder like before, only now she seemed to constantly avoid Yui's eyes at any time or place.

Ritsu was being her usual giddy self, but when Yui mentioned something or something about Yui was mentioned, she became quieter all of a sudden. And, even worse, Ritsu seemed to create a distance between her and _Mio_, too, and this hurt the bassist. She wanted to ask, she wanted to know, what had happened in the cafe when she wasn't there...but nobody seemed to care anymore.

Mugi seemed to be the person who worried the most, and it showed. Mio had asked her, once, but Mugi only said that 'we've got over the problem' and 'everything is okay'.

But this was definitely not okay.

Mio was afraid, though, if she interfered things would get even worse than they already were. That was why she kept quiet.

But Sawako didn't.

"Stop, stop, stop it!" she said, clapping her hands impatiently, "What's wrong with you guys? ! Everything's not in synch! Yui, Azusa, will you stop racing around like you've been chased by a dog or something! And Aoi, you have to memorize the lyrics! And Ritsu, what the hell is wrong with you, will you stop staring at the bassist!"

Mio immediately blushed. Ritsu was the first to respond.

"I was thinking!" she said, "I was thinking why she was playing so damn slow!"

"You were the one who was playing too fast!" Sawako shot back, "Gee, what's wrong with you? Have you forgotten what Janice had taught you? More importantly, what's wrong with all of you? !"

Nobody else replied. "A band can't play like this..." she said, "I'll be frank, you disappointed me..."

"Sawa-chan..."

"Solve your own problem," she said, walking toward the door without turning back, "I know there's something going on even though you won't tell me a thing... because your music shows _everything_."

And she slammed the door shut behind her.

For a few seconds none of them made a sound...not even Yui with her usual cheerful remarks. Mio felt the silence was killing her, but somehow she had no power to break it. When she looked at the faces of her friends one by one, her mind was painfully hit by the memory of them chattering and laughing and drinking tea by the table... with no secrets and fake expressions between them...

...How did things turn out like this...?

Just about a week ago, they were practically inseparable, but now...

They weren't even able to be honest to each other.

They had to overcome this, somehow...

Mio threw a glance at Aoi. Aoi looked back at her, her mouth slowly curving into a smile.

Yes...before settling this with everyone, she had to get her problem with Aoi done and over with.

* * *

To everyone's surprise, after a week of nothing related the contest, the finalists were suddenly called out of the classroom in the middle of their lesson to the student council's office for a briefing for the final round. Mio felt it was too sudden that she didn't immediately get up from her seat, but her classmates cheered so loud for her and Ritsu that their teacher couldn't take it anymore and ordered them to just hurry and get out of the classroom.

Aoi and the other three finalists were already there when they arrived, and it was the first time Mio got a good look of their faces. Uematsu, the ex-model from Azusa's class, was a tall girl with pretty long wavy hair who looked like she came right out of a fashion magazine. Aizawa and Nakamura, the other prince finalists, seemed to know each other and were chatting excitedly with no air of rivalry between them.

Aoi and Mio, on the other hand, exchanged sharp challenging glares with each other as soon as Mio entered the room. Ritsu couldn't help but looked at the burning sparks formed between their eyes in confusion, not having a single clue of what was going on.

"Now, everyone, listen up!" Nodoka said, "I will now explain to you the rules of the final round of the contest."

Aizawa and Nakamura stopped talking and the girls turned around to listen.

"...There will be several parts with multiple voting in this round, and the winner will be the one who gets the most total votes from all parts in the final round. But don't forget that there is also the absolute win system. If you win an absolute vote, meaning more than forty percent of votes, and nobody else does, even if it's only been the first part of the round, you will be declared as a winner, and the rest of the final round will be erased. The first part of the round starts tomorrow afternoon. Any questions?"

Ritsu raised her hand. "What do we need to bring?"

"Uh, nothing, you don't need any requirements for this first part," Nodoka said, "Oh, and you may choose what to wear."

"Huh? Is this gonna be a fashion show?" Ritsu asked. Mio noticed Uematsu giggled and gave Ritsu a slightly adoring look. Mio scowled. Ugh, not this girl too.

"No, it's just a part of the performance rating, really," Nodoka replied vaguely.

* * *

It was a week since their visit to the Bogus Cafe, and although there was always some kind of tension between them, they never had any trouble communicating with each other. And Mio was slightly grateful for that. She would surely cry her eyes out if that, too, was taken away from her life.

Just thinking if she could never talk normally with Ritsu and the others again... was almost more than she could bear...

"Tomrrow's the final round, right?" Yui asked.

"Yup," Ritsu said as she took a sip from her tea.

"What'll it be about?" Azusa asked, examining the cake on her hand before biting it.

"We don't know. They didn't tell us," Ritsu replied, shrugging casually.

"Oh, so it's like a round to test your readiness?" Mugi said curiously.

"Perhaps, but really, they didn't tell us a single thing. We're left with no clue whatsoever," Mio explained. This conversation reminded her about it, though. Lately, just thinking about the contest made her sick. Especially because of the bet she had half-heartedly agreed with Aoi.

"Obviously it'll be something challenging for every finalist," Sawako said, "Maybe like trekking, hunting, or..."

"Are we cavemen...?" Ritsu said.

"Or haunted house!" Yui piped in cheerfully.

"Kyaa! No! !"

"A sea full of barnacles..."

"No! Ritsu, stop it! !"

While the two were busily arguing, Sawako leant in to Mugi and said, "Hey, can you tell me what's happening between you guys...?"

"Eh?" Mugi said, giving her a surprised look.

"Don't 'eh' me. You guys might be acting like nothing happened, but I know there's something going on," Sawako scowled, pointing at the girls, "Between Mio and Aoi, Yui, Ritsu, and Azusa. What is it?"

Mugi stayed silent. "Well, we're like...not in good terms with each other."

"Surely, is there nothing we can do...?" Sawako said, shooting her a look, "Seems like your problem carries through to your music, and that makes it sound terrible..."

"...I've tried to talk with them..." Mugi said quietly.

"...And then...?" Sawako said, irritated.

Mugi gazed sadly at her friends. "They said everything is okay," she said, "They don't seem to trust me..."

As if on cue, Aoi suddenly looked at her and their eyes accidentally met. Aoi gave her a little smirk before going back to memorizing her lyrics.

"_They're the only best friends you've ever had, right...?"_

* * *

"You've ruined everything," Azusa said, "Are you happy now...?"

Aoi didn't even bat an eye when Azusa suddenly blurted out those words in front of her. She pressed her lips together and then smiled. "I don't get it..." Aoi replied, "There's no room for manipulation, isn't there? Or are you saying that they had been coached on what to say...?"

"Even if ninety percent of this mess happened by chance, it was nothing compared to your sixth sense. You can almost always guess what'll happen," Azusa said coolly, "You want to destroy us from the inside."

Azusa had heard it from Kohmiya and Mishu. Aoi once could guess right the development of stock prices for five straight months with almost zero mistakes. It was like a natural talent for her, and it was trained her whole life by her father. No wonder she could do such things.

"That is all nothing but your speculation," she said.

Azusa clenched her fists in anger. "...Will you just give up already?" Azusa said, "You'll never be together with Ritsu-senpai."

This was her weak point. Azusa had intended to hit it.

"That's not true!" she cried, "I will make it happen! And she cares about me!"

"Yes, but not in that way," Azusa said, "Ritsu-senpai only loves Mio-senpai. Give it up."

For a brief second Azusa thought she had gone too far. Azusa could see how hatred and anger was written all over her pretty face, as her knuckles turned white and her arms shook uncontrollably, as if they were dying to stab Azusa and kill her at that place and that instant...

"...Little cat..." she whispered to her, "...Those words will cost you..."

_...your life._

* * *

The so-called first part of the final round was very well-prepared. Two hours before the round began, the six finalists were transported by a minibus to a place somewhere in the south of town. It was a generally acknowledged fact that Aoi's company took part in this contest, but Mio noticed that Uematsu didn't seem to mind. Either that she was trying to get Aoi's attention, or she was truly being nice. Mio actually leant toward the former (after she saw her threw a wink or two toward Ritsu).

And as for Aizawa and Nakamura, they clearly didn't take the contest too seriously. Mio had known Aizawa since middle school, and even back then she was so popular that she could make a devoted fan club for herself. Nakamura was one of the strongest captains the kendo club had ever had. People said a girl fainted every time she swung her shinai (Mio thought that was ridiculous and seriously exaggerated...)

However, after she thought about these people around her, Mio slowly realized that the chance of her and Ritsu winning this was not too high. She admitted Uematsu and Aoi's popularity could even match her own, and Aizawa and Nakamura were not easy to beat, either. She wondered if she really had to manage as much as vote as she could right from the first part of the final round.

What she didn't expect, though...was _what_ that first part was.

"Welcome, contestants, to the private land of the Last Stand Corporation!" the man in a green explorer outfit said to the stunned finalists, "Here is a naturally developed area that is kept as close as possible to the habitat of various kinds of exotic reptiles!"

Mio would have laughed at the finalists' dumbfounded responses if she wasn't so shocked herself.

"Wha...wha...what is this place! ! !"

"It's HUGE!"

"There's even a mountain there!"

"This is a PRIVATE area? !"

The so-called "private land" consisted of, as far as Mio could see from the hill where they gathered, hectares and hectares of what looked like a dense forest, which gave her an impression of endless greenery before her eyes, and there was even a small mountain (or a huge hill, Mio couldn't really tell the difference) in the area.

The man, who introduced himself as Akahori the head guide, didn't seem to be surprised with their reactions.

"Your task in this part of the round is to find a certain cottage respectively and wait for the examiner inside the cottage!" he explained with a wink.

"A cottage? In THIS place?"

"You're gotta be kidding me!"

"How many years will it take until we even FIND one? !"

"I wish I brought my jersey," Ritsu said, "You wear your school uniform, too, eh, Mio?"

Mio and Ritsu didn't consult each other on what to wear, or, to be exact, Ritsu had totally forgotten to ask, so Mio concluded she had decided it herself.

"Huh? Eh, yeah...we kinda think similarly, don't we..." Mio said, looking around.

Aoi was wearing her jersey.

"It was definitely an easy bet for her, huh..." she sighed.

Guessing was obviously Aoi's area, not hers.

Mio felt foolish, wearing a blazer in this kind of hot weather. However, there was something more important than that which she had to ask.

"...B-but Ritsu," Mio said, "What's with the reptile..."

Ritsu obviously looked like she wanted to laugh at Mio's teary face, but she let out a small cough and explained calmly to her, "Last Stand Corporation is a part of the Fujii multi company. Our school might just be borrowing this area."

"Fujii...?"

"Yes, this is where the Fujii family..." Ritsu said menacingly, "...breed their 'pets'..."

Mio felt everything went black. "Hey, hey, Mio? ! We haven't even gone there yet, y'know!"

The guide had spoken again. "Of course we will provide you with necessary equipments. Water, compass, map, and flashlight," he said, pointing to a large backpack he was carrying. Then he picked up a black box from the ground near his feet and said, "Now every contestant please put your hand in this box. The number written on the ball you draw from here will be the number of the cottage on the map you have to find!"

The finalists nodded and they inserted their hands into the small opening on the box one by one. Mio noticed how the box had two openings on it, and the guide showed her which one she had to use to obtain her ball.

Mio looked at her ball. It was covered with silver paper, hiding the number from view.

"Open it after you've arrived to your respective posts!" Akahori-san added cheerfully.

"Excuse me," Aizawa waved her hand in the air,"...I heard this area is used to keep reptiles."

"Yes, like I've said," the man huffed.

"I mean...dangerous reptiles," she said, "Crocodiles."

The other finalists winced in surprise. Akahori-san thought for a moment. "Well, they won't eat you."

Nakamura was not pleased. "What are you talking about? ! Why don't you get rid of them? !"

"There're too many of them. We've stopped counting since ten years ago," he said brightly to the horrified finalists, "Besides, you have to face a little danger if you want to win a million yen, right?"

"Ritsu, Ritsu..." Mio was in the verge of tears, "He's lying, right? There can't be possibly crocodiles here, right? Right?"

Ritsu looked a bit pale. "...No. I believe he's not lying. This place is like...err, a real life Jurassic Park..."

Mio's heart sank a hundred times deeper. "W-why? B-but Aoi's here, too. What if she gets..."

"It's not a problem. Aoi breeds crocodiles at home," Ritsu said flatly.

"...You guys have all taken your equipments? !" the man said out loud, "Then we'll start now. Remember, wait inside the cottage until the examiner comes and gives you the test. You won't want to be outside when night comes."

"Why is that...?" Mio questioned him.

"There are vampire bats."

A silence.

"...This is the best place ever," Ritsu said.

* * *

'This place really looks like a real forest...'

One glance and Mio already knew wandering aimlessly alone in this place was not a good idea, but apparently she had no other choice.

However, she was more determined than ever to carry this through. She would not lose to Aoi, especially when her relationshi- uh, _friend_ship with Ritsu was at stake. She would never let it happen at any cost, she would win even if she had to cope with all her weaknesses in this round.

She looked up at the sky which was almost hidden beneath the thick leaves of the trees. She couldn't even catch a glimpse of blue, the whole thing was covered with grayish cloud. What if it rained...? Or there was suddenly a storm...? Although she had gone climbing several times before, she had no knowledge to predict climatic changes, and she was certain if the weather worsened before she reached her destination, it would hinder her way to the cottage.

Even sunlight was scarce. The trees became thicker as she walked deeper into the woods. Fifteen minutes later, she had already had to turn on her flashlight to check her map.

'Aren't there any landmarks?' she thought, 'This is seriously crazy...and if I don't find the cottage until night...'

She glanced over her shoulder. The shadowy figures of the trees worsened her vision and the lack of light didn't help. She was getting more and more afraid by the second. She couldn't help but feel that something was watching her…

...What was that...? An animal...?

She felt horrible as she remembered the vampire bats the guide mentioned.

It made her shiver.

'No...no...no, this is a bad timing to think about those things...'

But it was at that very wrong timing something hissed loudly at her from behind, "_Shaa_!"

Mio had never felt so shocked and terrified in her whole life.

"Kyaaaaaah!" she screamed as she began to run.

But she suddenly felt something damp and clammy grabbing her arm, sticking itself like a clamp...

"NO...! ! ! Let go of me! Go away...!"

But it refused to let go, preventing Mio from running as fast as she could from that place. Mio felt her whole body shaking uncontrollably as she could feel her arm no more... she shut her eyes, too scared to look at the terrible creature.

"Go away! _Go away!_" she screamed with all her might as terror of what that creature was about to do to her flooded her mind... That thing was going to bite her, that thing was going to suck her blood, that thing was...

"Calm down, Mio, it's me!"

She stopped screaming. Still trembling, she shakily opened her eyes. Beneath the faint rays of sunlight, she saw a beautiful pair of amber eyes...

She opened her mouth and managed a whimper, "...Ritsu...?"

"Be quiet," she whispered, looking around to make sure the coast was clear, "You can wake a couple of monsters, you know...?"

"...Ri..." she panted. She was shaken to the core, but she was grateful...she was relieved that her best friend was there...so relieved that she couldn't control her tears any longer...

Ritsu turned to her once more and said, "Mi..."

"Ritsuuu!"

Ritsu looked flabbergasted as Mio suddenly gave her the biggest hug in her whole life, crying her eyes out in Ritsu's shoulder.

"Eh, what..."

"Ritsuuu..." Mio cried.

It took a few seconds for Ritsu to come back to her senses.

"...You don't change at all, you scaredy-cat..." Ritsu said to the sobbing girl, "Of all things I thought you would do to me, hugging is at the bottom of my list."

Mio looked up. "...Eh?"

"Well, I'm the one who scared you with that 'shaah' just now..." Ritsu said, imitating a snake, "...Mio?"

"You...you..." Mio tightened her hug, crushing her.

"Uh, Mio," Ritsu choked, "...That kinda hurts..."

"YOU IDIOOOOT!"

Her angry shouts and Ritsu's cries of pain as she beat her mercilessly was much louder than any of her screams earlier, which would surely wake any creature in the radius of several miles.

* * *

A/N: Before you tell me no crocodiles or vampire bats can be kept in an open area in Japan, it will all be explained in the next chapter. Don't worry, I won't forget the other K-on club members, they'll get their own share of story later on. XD *shot*

Oh and if any of you haven't read my Mitsu M-rated fic, do check it out for me XD

AND HELL YEAH ROMIO-JURITSU NEXT WEEK! ! !

Thanks for reading this chapter, and I hope you will tell me what you think about it...! ^^


	12. Chapter 12: Falling Deep

A/N: New chappy!

And by the way, I found my old drawing and I guess I'll share it to you guys so you know how Aoi really looks like XD (pardon me for the crappy drawing and quality):

(remove the space): **yfrog. com/f/3m05082010242j/**

On to the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 12: Falling Deep

Since the final round was held after the school was over, the K-on club actually had nothing to do because half of its members were missing. The location where the first part of the final round was held was actually not that far from school, so some students had planned to come and cheer for the finalists.

Yui, Mugi, and Azusa then decided to support their club members and head to the private area by using Sawako's car (although she unwillingly let them in only after being bribed with an extra portion of Mugi's cakes). Sawako herself had something she had to do with the other teachers for the contest, so she left the girls alone as soon as they arrived. The girls thought they could only wait until the contest that day ended, but unexpectedly, they were invited to a big van parked across the private area entrance by Nodoka.

"Ah, Nodoka-chan!"

"Hey, Yui, come on in," she greeted.

"Whoa," Azusa looked around in awe, "What is this place?"

Azusa felt like she had walked straight into a TV studio control room. There were more than a dozen TV screens, computers, and devices Azusa had almost no knowledge of. The room was not brightly lit, and the light which came from the little screens flickered with every movement they showed. Azusa observed some of the screens. She saw trees in most of them.

"This is the van where we control our cameras," Nodoka explained, "The crew is out having a break now. You can look around if you want, as long as you don't touch anything."

Azusa almost tripped on one of the many cables on the floor, letting out a small "nyan" that made Yui giggle as she watched. "Are we really permitted here...?" she asked, trying to pull their attention back to the van.

The girls glanced at Nodoka. "Well, they said you guys from the K-on club can enter," she replied.

Azusa found it strange. In her opinion, with members like Yui and Ritsu, the K-on club should be the last club to be permitted inside any kind of control rooms. "Why K-on club...?"

Nodoka shrugged. "You see, the regulations, the rules, and the system of the contest were mostly not decided by us, student council, but by our sponsor, Last Stand Corporation. To be honest, we are basically doing what they ask us to..."

"Isn't that...bad?"

"We refused to hold this contest at first, but the majority of the student council thinks this is actually a great idea, and we don't have to spend much money, either, so we agreed to do this in the end."

Azusa wondered about this. She had known from Kohmiya and Mishu that, if the company hadn't changed hands, Last Stand Corporation was one of Fujii family's companies.

That meant...as chance would have it, this contest was sponsored by Aoi's company...no...this _whole_ contest was planned by Aoi. She wanted that she and Ritsu were declared as a 'couple' in front of the whole school. With the power of money and authority, of course.

And this part of the final round was...

'No...' she thought, 'I have to warn Mio-senpai...'

She fished her cell out of her pocket in a hurry.

"What's wrong, Azusa-chan?" Mugi questioned.

"I have to call Mio-senpai!" she said frantically.

"Eh? You can't," Nodoka told her, "There's no signal in that area."

"Eh? !" Azusa said. The other girls wondered why she looked so distressed.

"They've gone through such lengths to make it as natural as possible," Nodoka explained, "The family who own that area are used to spending their holidays in that natural area, too, see..."

"Nodoka-chan, what're these little screens?" Yui said, trotting toward one of the small monitors, "Hey, look, look, there're Mio-chan and Ricchan!"

Nodoka noticed what Yui was looking at and said, "They're hidden cameras."

"Come again?"

"Hidden cameras. You don't suppose to think that we're not watching out for them in that dangerous forest, do you...?" Nodoka said with a ghost of a smile, "This place got hundreds of hidden cameras for the family to keep an eye on their reptile pets without having to go inside."

"What if they get a charley horse in their legs while walking?" Yui asked, staring intently at the little screen with Mio and Ritsu inside, "Or what if..."

"Don't worry, we've prepared in case there's an emergency..." Nodoka said as she crossed to one of the screens and examined it, "The point of these cameras is not only for that...there's something equally important..."

Azusa thought for a while.

"...You're using these," Azusa chimed in, "You're using these to decide the winner..."

"Eh? How do they do that, Azu-nyan?" Yui asked, still staring at the screen.

"Surely, you're recording the journey and struggle of every finalist while they're trying to reach their respective goals..." Azusa said, eager to know if her assumptions were right, "...Then simply show it to the voters...and let them decide who to choose, right?"

"Yup, that's right, but none of these finalists know anything about these cameras," Nodoka said. Although her tone was normal, she didn't look too pleased with how the first part of the final round worked. "We put cameras in the cottages, too. In fact, there won't be any examiners coming to those cottages. We're simply recording what they're doing..."

"So you have... cameras in all of the six cottages then?"

"No, there are only three cottages," she acknowledged them.

"Eh, really?"

"Yes, the six finalists are divided into these three cottages," she continued, "One prince and one princess respectively."

"...Wait, wait, don't tell me..." Azusa said. Now she really wished she could call Mio.

Nodoka sighed. "Yes, I have no idea, either. We're recording what they're gonna do in that cottage and let the voters decide," Nodoka explained, "Well, if any of the random pairs win an absolute vote in this part, they will be directly be given the title 'prince' and 'princess'."

* * *

"Oi, Mio,wait up!"

"If you don't have anything better to do, walk faster, will you?"

"How can I walk fast enough after you destroyed half my bones...?" Ritsu said.

"And why the hell are you following me?" she snapped. She was totally in a combative mood and would do whatever it took to prevent any more of Ritsu's tricks.

"Funny, of all people I would meet on my way I never thought the _scaredy-cat_ Mio would be the one who could say such a thing," Ritsu said slyly, "Is it really okay for me to leave you alone...?"

That caught Mio completely off-guard. "Uh, I, no..."

"Good bye, Mio."

"Aaah! No!"

"We're going to different directions anyways," Ritsu said, her face darkened, "I got cottage number 3."

"You're lying!" Mio said, grabbing Ritsu's arm before she got away.

"It's true, you wanna see my ball?" she said gruffly.

"You can't trick me! I'm the one who got cottage number 3!" she cried as Ritsu began to walk away in light, small steps.

"..."

"Huh?" she stopped walking and turned around. They both pulled out their balls and showed it to each other. They were identical, with the same, bright yellow number "3" visible on the smooth surface of the balls.

"We got the same cottage?" Ritsu said casually, "That means we're going to the same direction then..."

Mio felt relieved. And a bit annoyed at the same time.

"Why am I always stuck with you?"

"You changed your attitude when you know I can't leave you, huh," Ritsu said, a vein popping on her forehead, "No choice, then...here."

She stretched out her hand. "Grab my hand," she said.

"What...?" Mio said as she stood there unmoving.

"Mio-chan who can't stand haunted houses cannot walk in the darkness without holding someone's hand, right?" she said, "So, here, Mio, let's walk together."

Mio knew her face was blushing a deep shade of red at that moment. She was grateful that the dimness of the forest hid her blush from Ritsu's view. She said nothing as she slowly...very slowly...touched Ritsu's hand and let her fingers intertwined with hers. It was comforting, her whole fear disappeared miraculously as the contact was made. She felt Ritsu's warmth crept from her delicate fingers to her hand and body, accelerating her heart beat to such amazing speed she couldn't believe somebody could make her feel this way...

She was grateful that Ritsu didn't evade her in this forest like she did in the club room. She was glad that Ritsu was simply being herself. Maybe she thought Mio needed her in this helpless situation...so she softened and decided to be with Mio come what may while acting like nothing happened...?

'...Why are you so kind to me...Ritsu?'

Ritsu walked ahead of her, and Mio gazed at the back of her slender figure. The same figure which led her out of scary places when she was small...

She realized how much Ritsu had grown...although she always complained about how Mio was taller than she was...

She knew they would still be together in years to come...and that was the greatest gift God ever gave her.

And as mad as it sounds, she had commited herself to love her forever...

'Ritsu...I love you...' she tightened her grip as her heart pounded loudly in her chest... 'I really want to tell you...that I love you...'

But she couldn't chance it. She got cold feet just by looking at her eyes... she feared she would fail...she was afraid that Ritsu would tell her that she liked Aoi...or someone else...

Her eyes, as if they had live on their own, fixed themselves on Ritsu's back.

'What do you think about me...?' Mio thought, 'I can't read your mind...you're so changeable, but I...'

I love you...very much.

"Huh?" Ritsu said, turning around in confusion.

Mio clamped her mouth. D...did she just say that out loud?

"Yes, you did," Ritsu said.

No, no, no, no...that was the last thing she should ever say in this situation, at least she needed a change of scene, or anything, or...or...

"What, Mio, are you mistaking me for Elizabeth?" she teased, raising an eyebrow.

"E...Elizabeth...? What are...you..." she trailed off.

"Wrong reaction," Ritsu said in a naughty tone, "Then...what about this...is that your best chat-up line?"

"C-c-c-chat up...?" Mio couldn't imagine how red her face was right now.

Ritsu seemed a little surprised. "Uh, Mio, what's with that stuttering...?" she said, "H-hey, stop that. If you do that to make me feel cheap, that just doesn't work...w-why don't you hit...where did my dangerous queen go...?"

Hearing how Ritsu stuck the word 'my' in front of that phrase made Mio blush a thousand times deeper. She was covering her cheeks to hide her blush now, as she cursed her over reactive mind for filtering every word which came out of Ritsu's mouth.

Ritsu looked extremely uncomfortable now.

"Mio...let's cut to the chase," she said, "You're not imagining me as Elizabeth, right...? Do you like someone and didn't tell me?"

There was a silence.

'Uh...what's with this atmosphere...?' Mio thought, her mind spinning uncontrollably. 'No, I can't tell her, I can't...'

Then all of a sudden she heard a noise from a bush behind her that made her jump.

"Kyaaa!" she screamed, clinging to Ritsu.

"What the...? !"

Mio felt Ritsu pushing her back, and she fell onto the forest floor with a loud thump.

"Ow!" Mio cried.

Then to her surprise, she heard a loud splash and a yell.

"Ritsu...? !" she hurriedly stood up, scraping her knees to sharp broken twigs on the forest floor in the process, but she ignored the pain. Her field of vision was limited, the flashlight had slipped away from her hand as she fell. She frantically looked around and spotted light coming from the roots of a colossal old tree. She picked it up and tried to look for any signs for Ritsu at the place where she fell. Apparently, they were walking at the edge of something like a river or a swamp and never realized it all along.

And the difference of height between the ground where she was standing on and the wet area where Ritsu had fallen to was so significant that it was no match for her flashlight, as if it was formed by an enormous landslide.

"Ritsu...? ! ? !"

Her shout echoed several times in the forest, but she only received angry unpleasant cries from creepy black-winged birds that felt their sleep was disturbed. Instinctively putting her arms on her head, Mio hoped with her whole heart that they were not bats.

But Ritsu...there were no signs of her...

Mio felt her heart sunk. Could it be that there were more creatures waiting for them beneath the veil of the darkness...? Did she just...did she just make Ritsu fall into a river? And into the jaws of hungry crocodiles? ?

"Ritsu? !" the strangled cry came out of her throat.

Still no reply.

She felt her feet lost their remaining power as she tried her best to keep standing still. 'No...no...no...what have I done...what have I done? !'

"Ritsu! RITSUU...!" she screamed hysterically. Blood drained from her face as terror overcome her mind.

'No, no...God, please...please save her, God, please...' she prayed desperately.

I haven't...

I haven't told her that I...!

"...Mio, you idiot!" came Ritsu's voice, "Are you trying to kill me? !"

The feeling of happiness and relief that surged inside of Mio was so powerful that she fell on her knees, her eyes brimful of tears. In the midst of her overflowing emotions, she managed to find her voice.

"W-why didn't you immediately answer me, stupid? !" she sobbed.

"I wanted to...but your worried voice is so high-pitched and funny," she replied with a light laugh, "Aww...are you crying for me?"

"No! This is because of the pain when I fell!" she cried, failing miserably to hide her sobs.

"Then can you come down here and help me out...?" Ritsu said with gritted teeth , "I swear this water's...f-f-f-freezing...I'm chilled to the bone..."

"What about crocodiles?"

"So if there ARE crocodiles here, you will leave me and just let me get eaten, huh?" Ritsu said with an irritated tone, "No, there are only me and a harmless pond here. Will you just come down and get me out? !"

* * *

Meanwhile, our audience...

"Ah, Ritsu-sempai fell into a pond..."

"Mio-chan's going down..."

"It's quite dark down there, isn't it?"

"What if they meet a big, fat crocodile? ?" Yui asked, bubbly as ever.

"No, they won't," Nodoka said flatly.

"Eh..."

"Well..." Nodoka said, "Actually..."

* * *

"...There aren't any crocodiles in this place," Ritsu said, wringing out her skirt, "It is all a lie."

"Ehh? ?" Mio gushed.

Ritsu sneezed and Mio hurriedly pulled out her handkerchief before handing it to her. "Aoi's told me before..." Ritsu said, "Oh, thanks..."

What Mio really wanted to do was to tell her to shut up about Aoi. However, what came out of her mouth was just an unhappy "Is that true?"

"If you doubt me, look around this whole area and see if what that guide said checked out," she said as she started to wipe her arms and face with Mio's handkerchief.

"Then how come is this place so...big?" Mio said, glancing up to the sky. The gloomy clouds were still there.

"The Fujii family don't know how to build something on the cheap," Ritsu explained, pulling out a small crab from her shoe, "But there really are bats though."

"The...the bats are real? !" she shrieked.

"Well, of course, this huge area doesn't come cheap. They keep some exotic animals here..." she said, waving her hands casually, "The bats don't attack humans, but they can spread illness."

"Why don't you tell me about all this sooner? !" Mio questioned angrily.

Ritsu smirked evilly and said, "I'm sorry, I want to see your scared face..."

Mio raised her hand to hit her when Ritsu suddenly sneezed again.

Her will to hit her vanished as fast as her anger. "R-Ritsu, are you okay...?" she asked carefully.

"I'm fine...but this place is so cold..." she whimpered. Mio examined her. She was soaked through and every part of her body was wet. Drops of water were still dripping from the tips of her hair, and she smelled a bit like moss. Then as her eyes fell on Ritsu's face, Mio noticed something was missing.

"You...your hair band..." she said quietly.

"Eh?" Ritsu said, fighting to keep her voice steady.

"It's missing..." Mio said.

Ritsu rubbed her forehead and realized Mio was right.

"...Ah, must have fallen..." was all that she said.

"I...I'll look for it...!" Mio said, turning away.

"Hey, don't, you'll catch a cold!" Ritsu said, stopping her with one sweep of her hand.

"I won't catch a...Ritsu..." she said, noticing something that made her heart sank to her stomach, "You're shaking..."

"...cold," Ritsu breathed heavily.

Ritsu was completely soaked from head to toe. Her body was shivering. Mio felt guilty. It was her fault that Ritsu fell into the water. And even worse, she might have caused Ritsu to fall ill.

None of them brought a change of clothes. She looked around for something that could be used to make her warmer, but there were only leaves and stones on the soft earth. There was a small scissor in her backpack but no matches. She had tried combing the area, but her search didn't come to anything, there was nothing in that forest with unknown trees that she could safely clip into something to cover Ritsu's shivering body. The plants that surrounded them, though, were all likely to provide them perfect combustible materials.

Should she make a fire...? she thought, But how could she do it when she didn't bring any...

She put her hand in her blazer pocket and realized something.

"...Ritsu..." Mio said, standing in front of her with a calm expression on her face.

Ritsu was hugging herself, trying to keep herself warm. "Huh?"

Mio pulled off her blazer and carefully put it around Ritsu's shoulder, using it like a blanket.

Ritsu gasped in surprise as she glanced at Mio's face, which was now so close to hers. But Mio didn't seem to notice it for some reason.

"There...does it feel warmer...?"

"Yes..." Ritsu said, still slightly entranced, "Uh... thank you..."

"Oh..." Mio said.

It was when she noticed she had brought her face so close to Ritsu's. With her bangs unusually falling on her forehead, her hair drenching with water, and her body weak and shaking...Mio felt her brain almost burst of the irresistible sight in front of her very eyes...

"You're..." she blurted out, her ears ringing in alarm, "You're...you're...you're cu- uh, I mean, you're welcome! !"

And as blood gushed into her face, she lowered her gaze and saw through Ritsu's uniform which was drenched to the skin...

Her hands which were still holding her blazer at Ritsu's sides began to shake.

"Mi...Mio?" Ritsu's voice snapped her back to reality, just in time.

'This is not good...' Mio thought, '...I'm losing ...I'm losing it...!'

* * *

"Oh...oh...Mio-chan's losing it..." Mugi said.

"Kotobuki-san..." Nodoka let out a sigh.

"Mio-senpai is so kind, lending her blazer like that..."

"Wait, who's the prince here?"

"The position suddenly get reversed...? ? ?" Mugi looked even more excited.

"Mugi-senpai..." Azusa sighed.

* * *

Mio and Ritsu could only continue a few steps before they stopped again. Ritsu seemed to have trouble walking, although she kept repeating that she was alright. Mio didn't trust any of her words. She was prone to fall in many of Ritsu's tricks...but not this time. Besides, Ritsu was so precious for her she would still continue to worry even if Ritsu _really_ was alright.

What comforted Mio's heart a little, although she thought it was not appropriate to be happy about it in this situation, was the fact that Ritsu seemed to grip Mio's blazer very tightly so that it wouldn't fall off her shoulder. However, that was cold comfort for Mio.

"...Ritsu, are you sure you're okay...?"

"I'm fine, Mio," she replied for the umpteenth time, "Now can you please stop touching my forehead...?"

Mio pulled back so quickly as if she had accidentally touched a pot of boiling water.

"Relax, I don't have a fever..." Ritsu said, although her voice was slightly weaker than before.

"B-but..." Mio said, "If you fall ill, I..."

Ritsu looked at her and smiled. Mio almost had to restrain her burning feelings once more.

"Stop worrying..." she said, before she spotted something ahead of them and grinned triumphantly, "Look up there."

She pointed toward a little hut which was visible among the trees several feet away from them. "It's number three..."

* * *

Meanwhile, somebody seemed to know how to avoid the cameras...

"Hey, Aoi Fujii..." Aizawa called.

"What?" she replied harshly, playing with something on the ground.

"Got any plans?" Aizawa asked in an irritated tone.

"No," she answered briskly.

"But we're lost here!" Aizawa said, waving her map impatiently.

"Why should I care?" she asked, hurling a knife playfully to the air before catching it again.

Aizawa winced as she noticed it was a knife she was playing with. "...Where did you get that...?" she asked carefully," Pu...put it down...I hate those kinds of things..."

Aoi groaned. A lost senior who was afraid of knives and an awfully annoyed junior. What a winning combination...she thought sarcastically.

"...We're on top of the hill. Mist coils around it daily. That is why there are no cameras here," Aoi explained, ignoring her, "Besides, our meeting is coincidental. We're not going to the same cottage."

Aizawa gaped. "...Cameras...? And how do you know we're on the..."

"That doesn't matter. What's more important is..." she slowly turned her gaze toward Aizawa. Aizawa glanced at her and was totally stunned when she saw Aoi licking her knife dangerously with a ruthless smile on her face as she said...

"...I have to get rid of you..."

Aizawa was paralyzed, but fear overcame her. The shock caused Aizawa to drop her map and scream with all of her might. She tripped backwards as she ran, hit her head on a rock, and was knocked out cold.

Aoi, who didn't change her position from beginning to end, only stared at Aizawa's body in silence.

"Geez, I was just joking..." she finally said.

However, she was quite pleased with the result. Aizawa's reaction was priceless and it blew the cobwebs away much more effectively than black coffee. She stood up and stretched before slipping the knife back into her bag. Scaring people came naturally to her and it was kind of useful.

She had eliminated an obstacle in Ritsu's path to victory. One prince finalist was down.

* * *

A/N: Number three is accidental. Really. *shot*

Here's the thing. I'm under a bit of...okay, I'm under a lot of pressure now. Many things happened, I don't know whether it's worth it but... I'll try my best to complete this fic. I'm happy you're all still reading this...and leaving me reviews that always encouraged me to continue...

Lots of thanks to all of you!

Another note, I've managed to finish some fics and I'll post a Mitsu fic on 21st. Some must've already known the reason behind that date.

Wish me luck...:)


	13. Chapter 13: Romeo and Juliet

A/N: Being stuck on the bed for seven straight days sucks. I hate dengue fever. And I am STILL sick. *insert ten nonsensical symbols FF will never allow to display here*

So somebody asked why Ritsu dropped the 'I love you' topic. It might not be quite understandable since we never (and never will XD) see much of Ritsu's thoughts and point of view in this part of the story.

At that point when Mio first said those words, Ritsu was so driven by surprise that she asked, but we've all known how hopeless she was to even consider the possibility that those words were directed to her. Conveniently for Mio, she was afraid to find out the truth after her fall, so she simply pretended nothing ever happened, at least for a while.

And...Enjoy the chapter, everyone!

* * *

Chapter 13: Romeo and Juliet

"They've found the cottage."

"They're the last one," Nodoka peeked at her watch, "That incident sure hampered their way. I'm sure they can clip several minutes off their time if it didn't happen."

"Now what, Nodoka-chan?"

"We can only wait and see..."

* * *

The door let out a small creak when Mio and Ritsu carefully opened it. There was not a single furniture inside the room, but Mio couldn't spot any dust on the floor or the door either. It might be because it was cleaned before they came, or simply because of the damp air, since Mio was certain this cottage had never been inhabited by anyone for at least a year.

"It's pretty small..." Mio gave the whole room a quick glance, "Is there only one room here...?"

"It's empty..." Ritsu said, shivering a little, "I thought I could find a change of clothes here."

Mio's eyes fell on her blazer that she had wrapped around Ritsu earlier. She noticed how Ritsu hadn't loosened her grip on it, as if she was trying to get herself cocooned in Mio's blazer. Mio felt her heart leaped pleasantly at this sight, but she wouldn't let it show through. Besides, she might be thinking too much anyway. Ritsu's mom might have told her she would catch her death of cold if she didn't wear the clothes that were stuck on her body properly.

After observing her surroundings for a while, Mio concluded, "Seems that this place is useful for nothing but shelter."

Ritsu looked pretty disappointed. "Aah! Damn!" she said.

Mio spotted the faint orange light coming from a small window at the back of the cottage. "The sun is setting..." Mio said, "It'll be night soon..."

"There's no food or anything!" Ritsu grimaced, "Not even a single comfy chair or one of those collapsible chairs for camping! What the hell is with this place!"

Mio could understand her complaints. She was getting hungry herself too. And Ritsu definitely needed comfort food for more reasons than one. Perhaps she could distract their hunger by talking. "What do those examiners exactly want us to do in here...?"

Ritsu slumped down against the wall. "Eh? Examiners?" she said, "There're no examiners."

Mio turned around so fast she almost tripped on her own foot. "What? ! That's a lie too? ?"

Ritsu took a sniff from her soaked shirt. "I forgot to tell you..." she said, "There are hidden cameras all over this place, here too. We've been watched, all along."

"What...what for? !" Mio glanced over her shoulder in alarm.

"Of course to make sure we're alright, stupid. They don't want the accidents in this place to fill a lot of column inches in the papers, do they?" Ritsu explained. She looked quite pleased with Mio's reaction."And also, to decide the winner. They're filming our journey and such, then show it to our voters."

"Tha...that's ridiculous!" she hollered.

"Not really, this is a popularity contest after all, what else can they do...?" she said, staring blankly toward the door as she rested her head against the wall, "So all we can do right now is wait."

Mio released a choked sound in her throat before asking, "H-how do you know all this...?"

"From Aoi," she said, playing with her fingers with a bored expression on her face, "She just told me that if I wanted to win, just act naturally..."

That name stung Mio's mind once again.

"Yeah, scaring me to death and falling into a pond. So natural," Mio replied.

"Good, isn't it? Now everyone can see your scared face...ow!" Mio's fist flew toward Ritsu's temple.

"Don't do that again!" Mio cried, "Don't ever..._ever _do that again!"

Mio turned away from her, arms folded impatiently. Ritsu noticed she was shaking. Probably that joke was a bit too much for her...

"Mio..." Ritsu called, "I'm sorry. I will never ever do it again. I beg for your forgiveness."

Mio didn't move, but Ritsu saw her sneak a peek at her. So cute.

"If you forgive me, oh fair princess," Ritsu said in a teasing tone, "...Will you please sit beside this lowly servant...?"

Mio didn't do anything for a few seconds.

Then she scuttled over to Ritsu and sat beside her.

"You're such a..."

"Shut up," Mio said, settling to a more comfortable position. Ritsu muffled a giggle.

For a moment they just sat there next to each other in silence. Mio's pulse quickened as she hugged her knees. It was very quiet. Mio thought she could hear the sound of birds, but she heard nothing. There were only them and silence. Ritsu seemed to forget all about her accidental confession earlier too. And for Mio, that was definitely a good thing. Mio inhaled deeply and feel the fresh damp air in her lungs. It felt like she was in a real forest. No, it was different, it felt like...

"...Hey," Ritsu piped up, "Do you remember when we went to a trip to the mountains during junior high...?"

"...Junior high..." Mio repeated. Yes, the smell of that forest was awfully similar with that of this one. Ritsu seemed to feel it, too.

"Yeah, that one when you saw a small wild rabbit hopping away and foolishly decided to take up the chase..."

Mio winced. She didn't want to remember that moment again.

"But luckily I followed you until you gave up the chase and realized you were lost...?" Ritsu grinned.

"I hate you," Mio said, sitting motionless on the floor, "Why didn't you tell me you were following me? ?"

"Because..."

Mio thought she was about to say something like 'I want to see your scared face' again.

"...You didn't call my name," she muttered.

Mio looked at her. Ritsu's expression was blank. "I followed you to tease you at first, but then I realized..." she said, "When I was about to show myself to you, you started calling everyone's name. Your parents, Kohaku-sensei, Sacchan, and Ogawa..."

Ritsu looked at her with a sad expression in her eyes. "...But not me..."

Mio felt another pang of guilt.

"Did you forget about me, Mio-chan?" she asked in a cheery tone. Mio knew she was trying to hide her sadness.

There was a short moment of silence before Mio finally spoke...

"...Ricchan."

Ritsu flinched a bit too dramatically.

"What...what...why all of a sudden...that's frightening!"

"Shut up! You said I didn't call your name, right? ?" Mio said, blushing furiously, "So now this is to make up for that!"

She looked at Ritsu straight in the eye. Was it blush that she saw on Ritsu's face?

Could she get her hopes up...?

"...Ricchan," she repeated, "Ricchan...Ricchan...Ricchan..."

Before she knew it she felt her hand was held by Ritsu's.

Ritsu's face leaned closer. She gently squeezed Mio's hand. "Ri..." Mio had a sharp intake of breath and her words changed midway through her throat,"...tsu."

"Hey, did you remember..." Ritsu said, "When we had our first sleepover at your house...?"

Mio nodded. She couldn't take her eyes off her hand which Ritsu was still holding.

"It was when we were practicing the Romeo-Juliet play..."

* * *

"Ricchan is holding Mio-chan's hand..."

"Oh my God, what's with this atmosphere? ?"

"Come on, come on..."

"This is getting more exciting!"

Nodoka looked at the three girls who were enthusiastically watching the screens for cottage number 3. She began to question her decision to bring them here.

The romantic situation didn't stay long, though...

* * *

"The Romeo-Juliet play...?" Mio said in irritation, "Of course I remember! How am I supposed to forget _that_! ?"

"Yeah, it's a nightmare," Ritsu said, propping her back against the wall.

"I still remember .thing about it. And I'll punch you if you _forget_," Mio said harshly, "When Kohaku-sensei paired us all up, I got my worst luck by being paired up with you and got the worst grade in literature class all because of your idiocy!"

"Since when is 'idiocy' and 'lack of luck' the same thing? ?" Ritsu shot back, "You always said it was my fault for drawing the WORST SCENE POSSIBLE of all scenes, which was Act 1 Scene 5!"

"You still remember...?" Mio said in disbelief.

"Of course I did since you repeated it a million times to me until my eardrums broke!" she said, huddling under Mio's blazer, "And you're the one who made us fail since you can't stop stuttering!"

Ritsu's words were close to home and aroused Mio's anger as well as embarassment. "Blame Sensei for assigning me the role of Romeo then, oh Juliet who can't talk like a proper girl!"

That was a painful truth, so Ritsu decided to turn her anger toward their teacher instead. "Kohaku-sensei is one old hag. Did we really have to learn Shakespeare in middle school? ! ?"

Mio swallowed hard. "We could still obtain a good grade if only we could talk and act a little better!"

"The hardest part is not the talking..." Ritsu said, her voice softened, "Is it...?"

As Mio's memories flowed back to her mind, it was the first time ever that particular moment made her blush in embarrassment.

"But still...!" Ritsu continued, "We practiced so hard for it that the dialogue is still fresh in my mind...and because we kept skipping that part...we're not ready for it and it ruined our performance..."

"Yeah..." They thought that part would be easy and they were wrong. Their practice was wasted although they had done it so hard they could hardly forget those lines.

"I can't forget those lines..." Ritsu said.

"Same here, we sure practiced too hard that day..." Mio still remembered how she repeated her lines to her sleep. She had done much more than simply commiting the dialogues to memory.

"Because Miss Perfect wanted the best grade in literature class..." Ritsu warbled, obtaining a giggle from Mio.

"That's before I'm into music..." Mio said.

Ritsu laughed lightly. She lied. She had been into music much earlier than that.

"Hey, Mio..." she said, "If you don't forget it...can we do it again?"

Mio turned her head curiously. "Do what?"

"That hellish thing during our first sleepover," she said, "Romeo and Juliet."

Mio's face colored at her words. Did she just...did she just ask her to play lovers with her...?

Could it be that...could it possibly that...

"'Cause I'm bored..." Ritsu said.

Mio hit her.

"Ow! What? ?"

'Such a _dull_ little idiot...' Mio thought.

"Or you can't do it anymore, Mio-chan?" she said. Mio could hardly tell if she was teasing or not this time, but she accepted the challenge with her whole heart.

"No can do since literature is MY area. I'll show you," Mio took a deep breath and began.

"If I profane with my unworthiest hand, this holy shrine: the gentle sin is this: My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand, to smooth that rought touch with a tender kiss..."

Ritsu clapped her hands. "Whoa, impressive, that sounds perfect!" Ritsu said in a moment of candor, "You didn't stutter!"

Mio was silent.

Ritsu stopped clapping. "Obviously because you're simply reading it and not immersing yourself in it, huh..."

Mio's face colored at her remark. "I...I still can't!"

Ritsu let out a giggle. "Mio, you shy little kid..."

* * *

"What are they doing?"

"These lines..." Mugi said, "...I think it's from Romeo and Juliet."

"Why the hell are they reciting a play in this time and place?"

"Because they love each other?" Mugi suggested with a sly smile.

"No!" Yui and Azusa said at the same time. They turned to each other in confusion and said, "Huh?"

"Ritsu-senpai likes Mio-senpai..."

"Mio-chan likes Ricchan..."

"But, Mio-senpai doesn't love her back..."

"No, no, Azu-nyan, you got it wrong. Ricchan's the one who doesn't..."

"Wait, wait, wait, you two..."

"Oh, boy..." Nodoka sighed.

* * *

"W-what! Then you try it!"

Ritsu grinned at Mio's expression. This would definitely not make her bored anytime soon.

Mio crossed her arms as Ritsu spoke.

"You do wrong your hand too much, which mannerly devotion shows in this, for saints have hands that pilgrims' hands touch, palm to palm is holy palmer's kiss."

"Show more emotion in it! You totally sound like reading!"

"You're the one to talk! At least I'm better than you!" Ritsu snorted, eyes fixed on Mio's face in annoyance, "Your turn, Romio!"

Mio frowned at her.

"Have not saints lips..." Mio responded, "...and holy palmer's too...?"

The sensation she had while practicing the play years ago with Ritsu came back to her as she looked into her eyes. Her name was Romeo, a man from the Montague family who met a fair maiden of the Capulet family, the Montagues' archnemesis...

"...Ay, lips they must use in prayer..."

And this girl in front of her was Juliet, someone whom she was madly in love with, someone who was able to cure her from her broken heart...

"O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do..."

Romeo was captivated by Juliet's beauty in a party, and fell in love instantly...

A love so powerful he would give his life for her...

No matter how impossible it was for them to be together...

"They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair..."

Ritsu opened her mouth to reply, but only faint coughs came out. "...Saints...don't move..."

That symptom, somehow, terrified Mio more than anything. "Ritsu...?" she said in alarm.

Ritsu's body was shaking. Mio's spirits plummeted as realization hit her.

The temperature had been dropping rapidly since the sun set. Ritsu's weakened body could bear it no more...

"Ritsu?" She hurriedly put her hand on her forehead.

What Mio had feared all along had finally happened.

Ritsu's condition worsened.

"Ritsu, I think we should get away from here..." Mio said, "Ritsu..."

Mio didn't know what she had to do. But Ritsu was trembling and breathing heavily. Her face was paler than ever, and her usual enthusiasm that made her Ritsu seemed to have been drained completely by the cold, cruel air.

Mio was truly in danger of crying.

'No...I'm sorry...I'm sorry...' Mio thought.

She wanted to hug her, she wanted to protect her, she wanted to do anything to make her feel better.

And that was why...before she knew what was happening, she held out her arms and wrapped them around Ritsu, wishing she could provide some warmth for her. Ritsu's body stiffened.

She looked up and her eyes were immediately locked with Mio's. For a brief second Mio stopped breathing. The sight of her face reflected in Ritsu's eyes seemed to have knocked every wisp of air from her lungs. Her heart was pounding as her muscles began to tense. It was like the situation in the station all over again. Only much, much closer...

As she was trying to remember how to breathe, Ritsu had spoken.

"Saints don't move..." Ritsu said in a hardly audible voice, "Though grant for prayer's sake..."

The girl in her arms was so feeble and small...as Mio stared into her eyes, she knew she couldn't let go of her...she was everything for her.

_I cannot live without you..._

"Then move not..." Mio said, slowly forgetting everything on the surface of the planet, "...while my prayer's effect I take..."

Mio impulsively leaned forward, closing the remaining distance between their faces...

Romeo fell in love with Juliet, and asked her for a kiss that changed everything...

'Starting from now...' Mio thought, '...Everything will change...'

_Juliet..._

"I love you," Mio whispered as she closed her eyes.

She couldn't see Ritsu's reaction. She didn't remember to think about it, about Aoi, about the risk she was about to face, or even the hidden camera in the cabin. She had commited herself without thinking...

Right now, in her mind, the only thing that mattered...was Ritsu.

* * *

"Look up, everyone...! They're...they're..."

"Ohmigosh!" The girls held their breath.

"J...just a bit more!"

"No, Azusa-chan, you're underage!"

"She's 17..."

"Oh, dear, I can't watch!"

"Do it, Mio-chan!"

"Oh yes! This is it! !"

"Yui-senpai, you stepped on my foot!"

And as Mio's face drew closer and the girls' hearts were beating like crazy...it was just about to happen and...

...The screen blacked off.

"Ahh! ! What happened! !"

"Automatic censor? !"

"We missed the best part! !"

"The camera's dead!"

"Why now ? ! ?"

"Stupid camera! !"

"Nodoka-chan! Turn it on!"

"It's time for you guys to get out, you know..."

"We still want to watch! !"

"Why is it dead? !"

"Probably an error."

"Why NOW! !"

* * *

A few minutes later, the girls walked out of the van with Yui being the last of them, staggering behind them as she bleated, "I still want to see..."

Nodoka, who looked a bit tired after dragging Yui from gnawing all over the screens earlier, said, "Don't cry, Yui. Do you guys want to look around more?"

Mugi caught Yui before she slumped down to the ground and said, "Look around?"

Nodoka put her hands behind her back and smiled. "There's a classy museum just beside the park. A small museum about the reptiles kept in there. It's actually pretty cool."

"Really? Then let's see it!" Mugi gleefully said.

* * *

"So why are we doing this job again...?" Kohmiya asked, exhausted.

"To help our friend...and to protect our dignity as the number one gossip queens at school," Mishu said with arms akimbo.

The two girls were standing eagerly at the station entrance. They had managed to get their hands on an information that was leaked through the girls of the theater club: yesterday when they went to the bakery near the station together, they saw a group of suspicious men mentioning the name "Fujii" going into the station.

Kohmiya sighed. "You're way too into this, Kiyoi-chan. It's not like Azusa will buy you a cake with a thin coating of chocolate, a delicious shortcake with a big, sweet strawberry on top, or a..."

"Yeah, I get it, I get it you're hungry. Now please stop telling me whatever you're seeing in that bakery across the street!" Mishu snapped.

"Kiyo-chaaaan..." Kohmiya whined.

Mishu put her finger on her mouth. "Don't call me that! I've told you my code name!"

"You've obviously watched too many detective mov..." Kohmiya gasped in surprise as Mishu's hand was suddenly on her mouth.

From her corner of her eyes, Kohmiya noticed something had added color to her companion's excited face. "Bingo..." Mishu whispered, "Sachi, call Azusa, now."

* * *

"_Everything is ready..."_

"_Good..."_

"_I wonder how she could coax this out of you."_

"_With a father like that...?"_

"_How does that matter to you, asshole?"_

"_Shut the fuck up. He said he would fire me if I kept coasting along."_

"_I don't see if this is any different."_

"_At least I will keep his daughter entertained."_

"_...Make sure not to disappoint Aoi-ojousama... if you do, she'll kill you in cold blood."_

"_Tsk...I don't need you to remind me of that shit..."_

* * *

A/N: The next chapter, "Taking Risks" is going to be divided into two parts, and the two events will be happening simultaneously.

Little trivia: Act 1 Scene 5 of Romeo and Juliet contains their first meeting in a party, which ends with a kiss XD

Please tell me what you think about this chapter! XDD


	14. Chapter 14: Taking Risks Part 1

A/N: I don't know how many times I've said this already, but THANKS FOR YOUR REVIEWS EVERYONE!

And also, thanks to your get-well-soon wishes, this author is now completely back to business!

I apologize if there are errors in this chapter coz I posted this in a hurry. Will be gone to my friend's place for a bit after this.

But I hope you'll all like the chap.

Enjoy what came about after our two beloved lovebirds kissed :D

* * *

Chapter 14: Taking Risks {Part 1}

"Once upon a time in a faraway kingdom, there lived a beautiful princess. She was timid and shy, but she created a facade to hide her true self. Her true self she could show to nobody, because her people adored her as a princess who was tough and headstrong. She gave hopes to many people, and she was happy. However, she couldn't help but feel a little lonely.

Then through a series of events, she found a friend, a princess from another land who disguised herself as a young male warrior in order to flee from her nearly destroyed kingdom. The girl, who was only willing to be called by the name 'Aru Go', offered her servitude to the princess, and since her heart was moved by the poor girl's story she accepted her without further ado. Aru Go then worked in the castle and committed faithfully to the princess.

What the princess didn't know was that Aru Go could see through her with ease and found out of her true self in no time. The princess felt devastated at first because Aru Go would never stop teasing her with her newfound knowledge, but the girl proved that she could be an exceptionally good company. And ever since her new friend came to her life, the princess finally had someone who could accept her as who she truly was.

However, before taking refuge, Aru Go had already been put under a deadly curse by the ruthless devil who fell in love with her while invading her kingdom. If Aru Go refused to return to her kingdom and marry the devil in three months, the curse would kill her. The princess was soon torn between saving her precious friend's life and facing the risk of losing her kingdom by challenging the devil's unrivaled power..."

"..."

"_...__And then what happened?"_

"_The princess finally took her courage in both hands and faced the devil with the help of Aru Go and her friends..."_

"_...So this is a story about friendship. I don't see any romance from this summary... then how come there's the word 'love' on the title...?"_

"_That's something you have to figure out by yourself."_

"_...There's something I have to protest, though. Aru Go...?__ You totally stole this girl's name from me! Hey, Mio...? ...Mio...?"_

* * *

Aoi Fujii turned to her with a furious expression on her face and muttered the sentence that had been repeated for countless times in her dreams...

"_Let's make a final bet, Mio..."_

At that time Mio had neither the intention nor confidence to give a reply.

But her heart had always had that everlasting, selfish determination from the very beginning...

_I will never let you win._

_I will never forgive someone like you for trying to steal her away from me._

_I will do it your way...and I will show you..._

_...That we are always meant to be together._

Maybe that impulse was what had driven her to finally take the risk and do the unthinkable.

Maybe her feelings for Ritsu that ravaged her mind were what made her blind.

But whatever it was, hesitation was the last thing she had in her mind when she initiated her first kiss with the love of her life.

She didn't even realize it until she felt how unnaturally hot Ritsu's lips were from the fever. Their lips were only barely touching but they made a warm, curious feeling stir inside Mio's chest. Both her cheeks burned with passion, and she hoped the brunette didn't see the blush that colored her face. It might be because of the temperature of Ritsu's body...or Mio's own emotions...but Mio felt hot next to her, so hot that she felt like her body was about to burn up. The tantalizing romantic energy soon drove the little peck to grow into a full, long kiss.

This feeling...this wonderful feeling was what she had been waiting for ...and the intensity tickled her mind so pleasantly as she ran her tongue on Ritsu's lips. The kiss contained all her passion, all her love that she had been hiding.

Ritsu didn't pull away, and Mio figured she might be completely taken aback by her actions.

For a brief moment both of them were truly breathless, and Mio enjoyed every moment of the amazing kiss.

Then slowly, she pulled apart.

It left her with a lasting impression that she was surely never going to forget for the rest of her life.

She really wished she could have another.

Her face was warm...and her mind was empty.

Ritsu's lips were soft...like silk...like...

"Mi..." a small voice rang in her ears, "...Mio...?"

It was at that moment when Mio snapped back to reality.

She quickly put her hands on her mouth.

She just...Did she just...

Ritsu's eyes were filled with confusion as they locked with Mio's.

It's all over... Mio thought. She had just _kissed _Ritsu.

It's all over!

She slumped down and cried, "I'm sorry!"

She had screwed everything up. Now their friendship would never be the same anymore. She had destroyed her most precious thing with her own hands.

"N...no, don't worry, it is..." Ritsu said, obviously feeling awkward, "...an accident, right...?"

Ritsu stretched out her hand and touched Mio's cheek. The contact their skins made caused Mio to jump away from her, as if it sent a burst of electricity throughout her whole body.

Mio could catch a glimpse of disappointment in Ritsu's eyes before she lowered her head.

'Oh no...' Mio thought as she looked at her face, 'I made her sad...'

She had just kissed her and now she was backing away from her. What a terrible friend she was...

"Uh...uhm...just so you know," Ritsu spoke, "The kiss doesn't bother me at all..."

Mio didn't dare looking at her. "...That kiss means nothing, right...?" Ritsu said, laughing nervously, "...So...we can stay friends...right, Mio? It's obviously nothing but an accident, right? You just got too carried away with your role. Don't over think it..."

Despite her light-hearted tone, Ritsu's words were so painful for Mio that she felt like her aching heart was slashed with every word that came out of her mouth.

It was nothing...

For Ritsu, the kiss was nothing...

And yet, Mio had tried so hard to win this contest...practicing guitar...singing alone on the stage...just for her...

She didn't care even if it required a commitment of so much time and energy...

But for Ritsu...she was...

Only a friend.

Nothing more than a friend.

Before she knew it, her eyes welled up. Tears slowly came out, creating trails on her cheeks. At the sight of her crying best friend, Ritsu was almost at loss of words.

"...Mio? What's wrong...?"

_No, Mio...you should be grateful that she's not angry..._

_Don't say anything...pretend that you got dust in your eyes or something... Forget the pain...just forget it!_

"I've just kissed you..." Mio choked out, "And you said it's nothing..."

_Enough...don't say it..._

"No, Mio, it's not like that..."

"Doesn't it matter at all to you...?"

_Because it matters so much to me..._

"No, I mean, I don't want you to think I hate you..."

But do you love me...?

A look of surprise crossed Ritsu's face. Mio gasped.

She just said what she thought out loud again.

And worse, this time Ritsu was paying full attention.

"Mio...did you just say..."

"N-no! It's not like...I'm not...!"

Mio squirmed, unable to stop the pools of tears that bathed her eyes and face. Her inner mind was screaming ruthlessly at her,

_...__Stop talking...! _

_This is just not the right moment to make a big emotional confession__...!_ she scolded herself, Not after you selfishly kissed your best friend, and backed off like a coward after that!

You're so worthless for her you don't have any right to love her...!

She never thinks of you...as a lover.

She never wants you... the one who is so madly in love with her...

As hopelessness filled her mind, she felt a shaking hand caressed her cheek gently, radiating such comforting warmth that it attracted Mio's gaze toward the kind affection right in front of her eyes...

No words could describe the amazement and sadness those loving eyes gave to Mio as her tears continued to flow out...

"Then why did you ask...?" Ritsu whispered with a smile.

Confusion and astonishment muted Mio.

What should she do now...?

She was never a person who was talented for making up a lie, especially in a situation like this.

"...Why did you cry?" Ritsu said, scooting closer.

Mio's breath caught in her throat.

"Why did you..." Ritsu said, reaching for Mio's hand and pressing it against her lips, "...kiss me?"

Mio's heart was throbbing painfully. "You will hate me."

"I'm not gonna hate you..."

The emotions inside her mind were overwhelming.

'Fate...why do you always make fun of me...?'

'First, you made me fall for my childhood friend. Second, you led me to such impossible depths of this love that I could no longer find a way out. And third, you provided me with a choice to lie...or tell her the truth and face the risk of losing my friendship with her forever...and finally, betray my new friend completely.'

Aoi was right.

She was a spoiled little girl.

She had betrayed her whole trust.

She had everything Aoi could dream of, and yet she still wanted more. Even going so far as to kiss Ritsu...

But Ritsu...She couldn't imagine how her life would be if Ritsu was not by her side.

She had given her so many precious things: undying friendship, music, the K-on club, this beautiful feeling that no words could describe...

...and Ritsu herself.

Ritsu had given her life.

She wanted to tell her...she could bear it no more...

She opened her mouth and said, "Because, Ritsu, I...!"

But Ritsu had beaten her to it.

"I love you."

The world stopped in front of Mio.

'I love you...'

...Did she just...

...hear that...?

She couldn't believe her ears...but Ritsu's innocent smile in front of her told her everything.

Her heart stopped beating.

Questions bounced inside her mind, filling her with perplexity.

Since when...?

How come was this possible...?

Why did she never tell her...?

Why did she never know that Ritsu was...

And as her feelings and confusion churned inside her stomach, she realized there was fear among them.

It was impossible to believe...

This was like a dream...

Ritsu, the small girl who greeted her in that classroom with curiosity in her eyes...

Ritsu, who tells her funny stories to see her smile...

Ritsu, whom she loved so dearly...

Ritsu...

Ritsu actually...

...Ritsu actually loved her back!

She couldn't speak...tears clogged her throat...and Ritsu's face went blurry as tears flooded her eyes...

But she had to speak...or else she felt like she could never say it anymore...

"I...I love you...!" Mio sobbed uncontrollably, trying to stop her tears from falling, "...You have...no idea...how much... I love you...you idiot...!"

Ritsu stretched out her arms and pulled her into an embrace.

Her hug was even more comfortable than Yui's...simply for the fact that it was Ritsu's. Mio hugged her back, still crying like a child.

"Before I fell..." Ritsu said. "You said you love me..."

Mio buried her head in Ritsu's shoulder.

"So that really is true huh...?"

Mio nodded. "Yes..."

"You should've told me earlier," she said with a chuckle.

Mio couldn't smile. There was something...something that was still bothering her.

It was not possible for Ritsu to love her back. For that to come about, it could only mean one thing...and it was just too absurd to be true.

_No, it couldn't be..._

"But, Ritsu..." she said, "What about the person you like...?"

_You have one...you do have one..._

_...And I don't know whether the love you bear for that person is more than the one you bear for me..._

Mio swallowed hard before saying, "Have you really given up on...him?"

Ritsu was silent for a while.

"No..." she said, kissing the tip of her nose, "I still love you."

Mio's tears fell on Ritsu's wet shirt.

* * *

A/N: Yes, this is not finished yet, there is still the next part which focuses more on the other events, and chapters about the conclusion of the popularity contest and more romance of our new couple. Also, the conclusion of Aoi's fate. Kudos to anyone who can guess that right XD

Do you enjoy this chapter? Please tell me through your reviews! XD *shot*

Little trivia: The name "Aru Go" in Mio's fairy tale is actually an obvious false name. "Aru" is how Japanese pronounced the letter "R". "Go" is Japanese for "five", which can be also translated as "Itsu(tsu)", therefore "Aru Go" is like a pseudonym for "R 5", "R Itsu". *shot*


	15. Chapter 15: Taking Risks Part 2

A/N: And after settling the Mitsu story, here we are finally arriving at the "conclusion" of the Azusa vs Aoi catfight. Enjoy the chapter, everyone, and, oh yeah, "you have been warned".

For a reason that you'll understand soon enough.

* * *

Chapter 15: Taking Risks {Part 2}

"_So you're not really dating Yui, are you, Mio...?"_

"_Huh? No! Who told you that?"_

"_I...I guess...I misunderstood."_

"_...Is that why you've been avoiding speaking with her lately...? How could you doubt her, Ritsu...? She's your best friend."_

"_I know...I've been such an idiot..."_

"_She's a good friend. She's the first one who knows that I love you, and she supports me with her whole heart."_

"_...Mio...if I apologize to her now...will she forgive me?"_

"_...Are we seriously talking about the same person...?"_

"_...Sorry, I shouldn't have asked."_

"_Good...apologize to her as soon as we get back, okay? I know she misses you, too, Ritsu..."_

"_...I miss her, too."_

* * *

Azusa could never forget Aoi's threatening glare.

It was filled with so much hate...

It was so terrible and gruesome she would still have it stuck in her mind for some time to come.

She did make a daring decision to cross Aoi with everything she had, at least until everyone believed her and listened to her suggestion to drive her out of the club. However, in the cold light of day, Azusa feared she was placing herself and the rest of her friends in danger by opposing Aoi so persistently.

Aoi had been more than simply a bully in the past, and with her angry threats to Azusa, it was common decency to think that someday she would show her the proof of her terrifying words. And with the company that she kept, it was not impossible to be done.

Should she stop pursuing Aoi...?

She first started it for the sake of protecting Mio and the rest of her seniors.

But would it be worth it if by doing this, they were put in a greater danger...?

She gazed at Yui and Mugi's excited faces, and Nodoka's calm and reserved one.

She had discovered that Mio and Ritsu love each other. If they could get rid of the only obstacle left, Aoi Fujii, nobody would disturb their hardly earned relationship any longer.

She had made a commitment to end Aoi's plot once and for all, and she would do everything she could for that. There was no turning back now...

Azusa felt her phone vibrate and pulled it out of her pocket.

It was a message from Kohmiya. 'Azusa! Quick, meet us at the station! We found a strong proof of Aoi's yakuza-like thing!'

Azusa clutched her phone. She re-read the message, her excitement rising.

A strong proof had been found. Finally.

Finally, a chance to chuck Aoi out of the club!

"What is that, Azu..." Yui said, suddenly stopped when she read the message on Azusa's phone screen.

Azusa quickly hid her phone. "Ah..." she said frantically, "Mu-Mugi-senpai, Yui-senpai, please wait for me. I'll meet you at the museum in a sec!"

There was some confusion in Mugi's eyes. "Azusa-chan?"

"Azu-nyan!"

Yui chased after her.

"What's with them...?" Nodoka asked.

Mugi was silent. For a brief second, she suddenly had an intention to stop them.

However, her bad feeling vanished the next second, and she didn't give chase in the end...

* * *

_If__ only she could see the future, she would have listened... but it was too late._

Minutes passed and Azusa could still hear footsteps behind her, although she had been walking so fast past the street.

"Azu-nyan!"

She finally turned. "Don't follow me, Senpai!"

Azusa wouldn't normally shout like that at the older girl in company. However, the street was nearly deserted and besides, there was a good reason to excuse her rudeness.

Yui didn't listen. "Stop it, Azu-nyan!"

"I've told you I won't stop!" Azusa said angrily. She continued walking, eyes fixed on some point in the distance.

"But it's not good to look for people's mistakes and secrets! Ui said..."

Yui's efforts to cajole her left her cold. "That is not the problem. Aoi is trouble and we have to get rid of her!"

There was no sign of agreement from the brunette. "Azu-nyan, you mustn't do this! Ao-chan must have a reason!"

A reason. This whole thing happened because of that one, selfish reason. "Her reason is to take Ritsu-senpai for herself!" she boomed.

Yui shook her head. "Even so you have to stop!"

Azusa gritted her teeth. If you listened to Yui's opinion about Aoi, it would seem like she was a well-mannered girl who had the common courtesy to apologize when she did something wrong. But Aoi was, by common consent, far from that image, the source of their whole trouble since the beginning.

That was why before long, Azusa had lost her temper.

"Will you stop following me? !" she cried, "I'm doing this for the sake of our club!"

How could Yui still possibly believe there was good behind that devil's reasons? Yui had always been the most uncommitted member of the club, the kind-hearted simpleton, who would never come round to Azusa's way of thinking...

Her hatred to her enemy. Her disappointment to her senior. All of which fueled her sudden outburst.

"You don't know what is really going on! Don't act like you understand everything...! !"

A silence.

"Ah..." Guilt soon replaced her anger, but she still thought this might stop Yui from following her to the station.

Yui still stayed silent, her gaze locked to a building several feet away from them. Azusa noticed her expression changed, so she followed her gaze curiously to the top of the building.

There, she saw a figure of a man. She couldn't see it clearly, but she noticed the man was pointing something at her. A stick...a cane...no, much larger...

A rifle...?

Azusa froze in place.

What happened next was too fast for her brain to believe it.

"Azu-nyan! ! !"

An ear-piercing scream.

A tight hug.

A gunfire.

Azusa's mind went blank.

Before Azusa could move a muscle, Yui had carelessly turned her own body into a sacrifice...

_If only she could see the future..._

The shaking arms that were previously circled tightly around Azusa's body...slowly became loosened...

And through her spinning head and her frantically beating heart...Azusa watched in horror as the mop of brown hair slid down from her shoulder...

_...she would have listened..._

"Sen..."

...and how her warm body fell limp on the ground...

"...pai...?"

She didn't answer. There were no grins...no 'Azu-nyan'...no smiles...

Both Azusa's mind and heart raced wildly.

_...but it was too late._

"Senpai? ! ?" Azusa shouted.

...Then she saw something dripping down to the ground...

It took awhile for her to recognize what it was.

... Blood.

Azusa's heart sank to the depths of doom. Panic began to wash over her, and she desperately forced herself to stay calm...forcing herself not to think that the hug just now...the hug just now was the last hug Yui gave her...

"Help! Somebody!" she screamed.

She looked at Yui's body in her arms, as limp as a rag doll...tears of fear and regret started to come out from her terror-stricken eyes like rain.

_This is all...my fault..._

Some people came running at them...asking her what was wrong...

...calling an ambulance... trying to separate her from Yui's body...

Somebody told her Yui might have to be committed to the hospital...

But the words never reached Azusa's ears...

"...Little girl," a man behind her said, "Please let go..."

But she wouldn't let go.

_It is my fault..._

Even when the ambulance came, she wouldn't let go.

As if her whole life depended on it...

More and more people began to gather around her.

"Please..." one of them said again, "Let go of her..."

"No..."

_It is my fault...it is my fault that she dies..._

"We need to get her to the hospital. Please let go..."

"No!"

The passers-by looked at her in pity. Their eyes showed nothing but compassion.

And when the people around her were finally able to pull her away from her body, she was struggling madly, trying desperately to get back to Yui's body...

...And she let out a heart-breaking scream that was so mournful and agonizing...as if it had already been the end of the world...

"_NOOOO_...! ! !"

She almost swore she could hear a girl's triumphant whisper among the watching crowd.

"_...Take the message... why wasn't a device to reduce the noise of gunfire even used...?"_

"_You and your__ filthy friends... have been warned..."_

* * *

"What's wrong, Kotobuki-san...?" Nodoka asked, after noticing the girl was out of focus and has been glancing around for a while.

"Uh...no," Mugi said vaguely, "I just thought I heard someone calling..."

Her phone vibrated all of a sudden.

She picked it up. "Hello...?"

On the other end was Azusa's crying voice, so sorrowful as if someone had died.

"Mugi-senpai! Mugi-senpai!"

...Only that someone really had died...

"Azusa-chan...?"

"Yui...Yui-senpai is...!"

Mugi almost dropped her phone as Nodoka gasped.

"_Tsumugi..."_

Out of the blue a devilish voice filled her ears, creeping into her blood and her whole body like poison.

"_They're the only best friends that you've ever had, right...?"_

"...Kotobuki-san...?"

"_Mind if I play around with them for a bit...?"_

She fell on her knees, painfully losing her mind.

It took some time for the surreal news to sink in, tormenting her...

Yui...Yui who always gives her the happiest smile while eating her cakes...Yui and her childish remarks...

Yui, one of her best friends in the world was...

"Ko...Kotobuki-san, what happened? ? Hold yourself together!"

Nodoka's worried voice and a certain girl's sinister smile passed one after another inside her brain...

"_...Just kidding..."_

Then she saw darkness.

* * *

A/N: Ouch. Finally, a victim.

The gunshot was non-existent in the initial plans of the fic, but I think it would be out of Aoi's character if we never see a proof of her death threats. Whether Yui was badly injured or really died or else would be revealed in the next chapter, but there would definitely be no twist about the person behind the gunshot...

Thanks for reading so far! Please tell me what you think!


	16. Final Chapter: True Love

A/N: It's finally here! ! ! I decided to make it longer, so it'll be satisfying? Lolz XD

Please enjoy it everyone, the final chapter! *shot*

* * *

Final Chapter: True Love

Azusa had rarely ever been inside a hospital before. She had only come around to that place once or twice to visit her sick relative with her family. Never had she imagined she would be inside a hospital ward for a friend of hers that had just been shot by a stranger. But now here she was, still in disbelief, with her nails firmly planted in her palms.

Her eyes began to wander, to the plaster that had started to come away from the wall, to the sky that was visible through the window, and to the girl that lied weakly on the soft, comfy bed...

"So...in short..."

"The bullet missed your heart and hit your shoulder..." Azusa said in a hoarse voice, "...And then you fainted directly after the gunshot? !"

Yui gave them her usual apologetic grin while scratching the back of her head.

"Ehehe...I've never been shot before so..."

Mugi slumped down on a chair by her bedside. "Thank goodness you're safe..." she said, "Azusa-chan, you shouldn't have directly told me that Yui-chan had really died before knowing for sure which part of her body was..."

"You got us worried for nothing!" Azusa broke in.

"Ah! I'm sorry!" Yui said in surprise.

"Don't apologize!" Azusa exclaimed, "Yui-senpai's so stupid!"

"Eh? !"

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" she said, her voice shaking. She might not show it, but she was desperately fighting back her tears. "Why did you suddenly hug me like that! What if that bullet hit your legs and you can't walk anymore! What if it hit your head! What if...what if you..."

Azusa stopped for a moment as she sobbed. "...died...?"

"Azu-nyan..." Yui said, finally realizing what her kouhai meant. "...I'm..."

"Don't apologize! Geez!" she choked out, "Just don't do anything stupid like protecting me again!"

She knew she was the one most suited to be called stupid, but she was so relieved that she didn't know any other way to express it. What it came down to was, either she scolded Yui or she cried louder than ever in front of her.

She didn't realize Yui was looking at her with distinct sadness in her eyes...

"...But if Azu-nyan were the one who got shot..." Yui said, "I'd rather die."

Azusa couldn't utter back a single word.

She had behaved badly toward Yui for days... but Yui was still thoughtful of her.

She had yelled at Yui before she was shot...and yet she still protected her...

How could she become so...egoistic...? She had tortured Yui, who never ceased thinking about her, with her careless actions...

"Senpai..." she managed to mutter, "I'm sorry."

Yui shook her head. "It's okay, Azu-nyan. It doesn't hurt. I passed out during the whole surgery," she said happily, "And I got cute bandages on my arm, look, look...! You're a good girl, so stop crying, Azu-nyan..."

"Yui-senpai..." she said sheepishly. Instead of complaining of the pain she obviously got after the surgery, she managed to lie to cheer Azusa up.

'Why are you so stupid... and so kind...?'

She thought that Yui was hardly understandable and weird, an inexperienced guitar prodigy who had nothing inside her head except food, who stuck herself with Azusa for the sole reason that she was cute, who somehow misunderstood her and bought her a pet turtle to cure her loneliness...

Her behavior might be strange and beyond comprehension at times, but her pure aims of heart were what made her adored by so many.

Azusa might never realize it...but Yui cared for her greatly despite all the mistakes she made.

And all she got from that was a scar on her arm.

Azusa felt a terrible pain in her chest when she saw Yui's innocent smile.

'I couldn't even return the compliment...' she thought sadly, '...But why are you still smiling?'

Yui had to suffer like this...

Because of the...

'The sniper...' The thought suddenly hit Azusa's mind, 'The sniper was aiming for me...'

But Yui suddenly blocked her and the bullet missed its target.

Somebody must have sent the sniper...

Aoi...

Azusa's eyes lit up. It must be her!

"Yui-senpai, Mugi-senpai, this must all be Aoi's doing!"

"Azusa-chan...?" Mugi and Yui seemed surprised with her sudden change of mood.

"That creep..." Azusa cried, "I'm going to catch that creep!"

That witch of a friend...Yui had trusted her so much, more than anyone else, and yet...she had made Yui suffer.

She had to pay!

No sooner than Azusa took one step toward the door than Yui suddenly grabbed her wrist with her injured arm. She looked down to find a pair of silently pleading eyes.

"...No, Azu-nyan, don't go," Yui said weakly, "Somebody will try to hurt you again..."

...She still thought about her safety, no matter what happened.

When Azusa heard those sincere, caring words, she almost felt like crying once more.

Just looking at the bandage around that shoulder and arm, which Yui always wrapped around her body in a warm embrace, pained her so much it brought tears to her eyes.

Before she knew it, the other arm was already wrapped around her once more...as Yui brought her body close to hers. Azusa could hear her heart beat rhythmically inside her chest...could feel the warmth she knew so well enveloped her whole body...

At that very moment... just still be able to be hugged like this...just that Yui didn't lose an arm...just that Yui was still alive and well...

...were all much more than enough, for Azusa.

* * *

"Yui!"

The drummer marched faster than her raven-haired companion into the hospital ward, her face flushed and covered with sweat.

Only to be welcomed by a view of a brunette eating a cup of orange jelly drink on the bed.

"Hey, good morning, Ricchan, Mio-chan!" Yui said cheerily, "The jelly drink from the hospital is delicious, do you want so-"

"Who cares about the stupid jelly drink!"

Mio tried hard not to laugh.

"Ehh..." Yui said apologetically. "I-I'm sorry."

But Ritsu had jumped onto her and crashed her into a hug, while almost..._almost _sobbing uncontrollably on her shoulder.

"Ri...Ricchan!"

"You should be grateful nobody shot you to death instead of eating a cup of jelly!"

"Ricchan..."

"And what if you were dead before I could even apologize? ! I don't want that!"

"Ricchan..."

"What is it, you idi...!"

"My arm hurts! !"

Mio had to suppress a giggle as she watched the two girls bickering. Yui didn't look angry at all. She patted Ritsu's head with a wide, silly grin that was commonly seen on her face whenever they were together. Mio hadn't even caught a glimpse of that grin for days.

It seemed like the tension between them was finally over.

Mio was a bit surprised that she felt much more relieved than she previously thought. It was hardly believable that her two friends, who had so much in common and were usually complementary to each other, could even start fighting in the first place. When Yui and Ritsu lost their precious bond, the light music club also lost one of the most important essences that held them together.

Mio sighed as a thought crossed her mind, 'This is how it should be...'

"...Hopefully..." A voice behind her said, "You don't mind them."

Mio turned around and saw Ui standing there, holding a tray with a knowing smile on her face.

She didn't say anything more, but Mio understood what she meant. "Nah..." she said, crossing her arms, "Just for this while." But then she realized there was something very wrong with her small smile.

"...Huh wait, how did you know that? ! ?" she said loudly.

* * *

The next day, the videos that had been recorded were shown to the whole school by the student council. One of them...Ritsu and Mio's journey as they made their way through the forest, and how they recited the infamous play before the kiss was cut...for sure, triggered a widespread sensation by the end and the video was soon exchanged countless times from one cell phone to another in the whole school, then famous as the "Romeo and Juliet" love scene.

They came off too well in the contest; due to popular demands not only from their own class, class 3-2 had collectively decided to stage a real Romeo and Juliet play based on the video for this year's school festival, despite the reluctance of the ones who were forced into playing the leading roles.

The two girls soon became the most famous couple in the history of Sakuragaoka, and since then, wherever Mio went, wherever Mio was in sight, everyone, seniors and juniors, would congratulate her and shout her name. People from all corners of the school would ask her the details of her love life, as if they wished to come in on their much worshipped and controversial romance.

When the school newspaper decided to report this rare event in an exclusive, multi-paged article, Yui, Mugi, Azusa, and Nodoka also became famous all of a sudden. Both Mio and Ritsu were unable to study in peace anymore, neither in their classroom nor anywhere after school.

Their fans multiplied to unbelievably huge numbers and not a single person in the school doubted which pair would win the popularity contest.

When the student council announced to the cheering crowd, that Mio and Ritsu had won an absolute vote and therefore be declared Prince and Princess of Sakuragaoka, Mio fainted in an instant.

* * *

"She's not here," the girl replied after taking a quick look to her classroom.

"Do you know where she went?" Azusa asked politely.

"No, sorry." She shook her head apologetically.

"I see."

Azusa thanked the girl before taking her leave.

Ever since the final round was over, Aoi was nowhere to be seen in the school. Azusa had been looking for her for some time, but she never appeared either in her classroom or in the music room. None of her classmates and fans had any information of what had happened to her, not even the members of the light music club, and not even Kohmiya and Mishu. There were not even any signs of her coming by the school to state that she was absent because of some kind of illness. This went on for several days, until Azusa heard from Ritsu she might transfer to another school for whatever reason.

But Azusa was not pleased.

She told herself that she must not feel complacent about how Yui was not fatally injured and how Mio and Ritsu were now happily a couple. Aoi had definitely been forced to concede defeat in her contest, but Azusa had sworn to come down on her and teach that bitch a thing or two for hurting Yui. Confidently, Azusa headed toward the school grounds. Azusa stopped to think for a moment. Would she find her if she tried to comb the school once more? She had searched the commons twice and tried walking through the school corridors.

Could it be that Aoi was really not to come to the school any longer...?

Just as she was about to decide, finally, she heard a voice. A voice she was so adamantly searching.

"You call...?"

It was the voice of that conceited girl, coming not really far from where Azusa was standing. Azusa immediately looked for the source.

But what surprised her was that she was not talking to someone over the phone like Azusa previously thought, but there really was already someone with her. And it was even more surprising that the person was Tsumugi Kotobuki.

"I just want to meet you for the last time before you go..." Mugi said calmly, "And there's something I want to say to you."

The two girls and Azusa were conveniently separated by several pot plants and a thick bush, perfectly hiding her from their view.

She approached them, carefully cautioning herself against being seen.

Azusa considered if she should go and interrupt them. Mugi might be in danger. But then again, she was curious about what Mugi had to say.

Maybe she should dump some potting compost on Aoi's head or...

"Congratulations, Ao-chan," Mugi said, "You won."

Azusa didn't get what she meant. But she was sure there was joy in Mugi and Aoi's expression, which shouldn't be there in the first place. What the hell was going on...?

The blonde took a deep breath and smiled.

"Mio-chan and Ricchan are now together," Mugi continued, "Well done."

Aoi grinned back. "Then you'll give me what I want then?"

"A villa in Hawaii is enough?"

"No, I've told you I want a permission to build a casino here," Aoi huffed, "Is it nearing completion?"

"Uhm..." Mugi replied. When Aoi stared at her, she stirred and her eyes found the sky.

Azusa couldn't bear it anymore. She dashed out off her hiding place, surprising her friends when she suddenly came out of nowhere and gripped Mugi's arm, hard. Her eyes shone in extreme confusion.

"W...what, what are you guys talking about! ?"

"Auh, crap, you heard?" Aoi said, her eyes widened.

"What do you mean, Mugi-senpai? ? She never wants Mio-senpai and Ritsu-senpai to be together!" Azusa blurted out, ignoring her, "She threatened us, she's dangerous!"

Mugi wasn't quite alarmed by Azusa's intensity. "Maybe you should tell her the truth now, Ao-chan..."

"Well, if you said so..." Aoi said, before turning to Azusa and said, "Azusa, I'm sorry...it is all a lie."

"What...?" Azusa said.

She must have heard that wrong.

"All... a lie? Everything you did...Bu...but...you love Ritsu-senpai, don't you? !"

"That's impossible, I've already had a boyfriend!"

"WHAT? !" Azusa cried, "Mugi-senpai, what's the meaning of all this? !"

"Ma...maybe we need to explain," Mugi said, patting her shoulder, "Azusa-chan, we're sorry for hiding this from you. We're actually friends before Ao-chan meets Ricchan. She is only in Japan for two months before moving to a theater school in America."

"Theater school?" Azusa said. She looked at Aoi's face, then Mugi's. They both seemed serious. Could they make this all up? Or was all this really true...?

"I thought...I thought you sing!"

"Didn't you know? I studied at a theater school before being dropped out, for the reason that you have heard. It was an accident, though," Aoi said, "And about singing, I've said it before, my dad forced me to. I never really want to be an idol, too tiring."

"Th...then... everything...everything you did and said in front of us...is all an act? ?" Azusa said, her voice rising to a shout. She couldn't express how disbelief had overwhelmed her so much that she couldn't think of what she had to say anymore.

"This began a few months ago. Ricchan confessed to me that she loves Mio-chan, but decided to give up on her. Several months later, Ao-chan called me and told me she has accidentally met Ricchan at the station," Mugi explained.

"Just one look and I immediately recognized her as a lesbian," Aoi added, "One of my specialties."

"Ao-chan forgot to tell Ricchan she knows me, but from the conversation that day Ao-chan knows Ricchan had a problem with her love life. Ao-chan told me about her guess, and I only said she was right," Mugi said.

"That was when I offered to Mugi-senpai to help those two," Aoi said. There was pride in her voice, as if it was an honor for her to do it. "I offered to try making Mio-senpai jealous. But Senpai didn't believe I could do it. So we made a bet. If I could bring Mio-senpai and Ritsu-senpai together by pretending to love Ritsu-senpai, I win."

This entire sudden stream of information blurred Azusa's senses. It was so absurd that it was almost a lie, and there were still so many things that were left unanswered.

"Bu...but you hid Mio-senpai's guitar!"

Aoi shrugged her shoulders. "It's not a problem. Mugi-senpai had told me from the beginning that she would help if necessary. She doesn't mind losing the bet, for her it is more important for Ritsu-senpai to reach her dream. The bet is just for fun."

"Despite our disagreements, we were able to find some common ground. So we made a plan to hide Mio-chan's guitar in the contest and prepared a surprise for the audience," Mugi continued.

Azusa felt her head spun. This was far beyond her ability to understand.

"You don't have to do that, you know!"

"It was Ao-chan's idea..." Mugi said, throwing a glance at the younger girl.

"I made a bet with more than three hundred people at that time, that Mio-senpai would sing on the stage while playing a standard guitar," Aoi explained monotonously, as if she was telling an amateur how to win in poker.

"You..." Azusa said. She was slowly developing a headache. "Are you crazy? ! You conned more than three hundred people! !"

"Well where do you think the one million yen prize came from?" she asked, a bit surprised with her reaction.

"Can't you just use your dad's money? !"

Aoi crossed her arms and began to speak in a crisp tone. "My dad is a strict man. He always trains me to get my money myself with whatever means necessary."

Azusa was immobilized as she realized she began to believe that Aoi had no bad intentions from the beginning, but her hate was a much stronger emotion. It was not her nature to just give up and accept this.

"But...but...you sent a sniper to shoot me!" she came back at her.

"This is what I think. By pretending to loathe you, who support Mio-senpai whole-heartedly, nobody could doubt my feelings for Ritsu-senpai. That was why I threatened you and such," Aoi said. Azusa noticed there was something strange with her tone. "And about that sniper. He's a pro. I didn't mean to hurt Yui-senpai, it was meant to only frighten you. I thought I have to pretend to be an antagonist a bit longer...but it seems to happen much earlier than I have expected."

Her mouth slowly curved into a tender smile.

"They're simply too blunt to realize their feelings since the beginning..."

"Aoi..." Azusa said in amazement.

She understood it now.

Despite its absurdity, it really all made sense.

Mugi was basically the only one other than Azusa who knew Ritsu's feelings to Mio, and Aoi had an extraordinary ability to predict how things would develop over time.

Aoi first approached Ritsu to make her more open about her feelings. Then Mugi supported her when she managed to come between Mio and Ritsu. She didn't try to provoke only Mio with her actions, but Azusa also. She comprehensively sponsored the contest not to declare herself and Ritsu as a couple, but to help pushing Mio and Ritsu's relationship forward. She intimidated Mio so that her possessiveness would force her to remain competitive with her in the contest. And in the end, to be the final push to Mio's confession to Ritsu.

It all did come back to how Aoi and Mugi wished to do something to assist their two problematic friends.

She had never tried to come at it from a different angle like Yui had. She had made a mistake.

After listening to their explanation, she understood how her anger and grudge started to disappear, leaving her with hardly significant hate to the girl she previously despised.

"I'm sorry...for saying those bad things to you."

"Oh damn, I hate it when somebody starts apologizing," Aoi said, scratching her head, "I'm sorry, too, Azusa, and hopefully..."

She looked at Mugi and Azusa in turn.

"You won't forget the lesson you get from this experience."

Azusa blushed.

"Yui-chan's waiting for you, Azusa-chan," Mugi said, "She's in the music room."

Azusa mumbled a word of thanks and hurried away. They watched her until she was out of sight, before Aoi opened her mouth and spoke.

"You seemed afraid when I made a joke back then," she said, "Did you take my threat seriously?"

"I do apologize for suspecting you, but I did that because you are a liar," Mugi replied, "Someone like you cannot just be trusted."

Aoi let out a chuckle. "That's a wise thing to do. Never trust a Fujii completely," she said, "You and Azusa are nothing but a pawn for my benefits. You've already known that, haven't you?"

There was a pause.

"...But they do trust you, don't they...?" Mugi asked warmly, "Back when we were together in grade school, most people around you feared you just because of your surname. So I know... not all the time you spent with us is an act. At least you enjoyed some time with us, Sakuragaoka High School students, didn't you...? Because they never judge you from your family background, like everyone does."

As Aoi stayed silent, her lips were compressed into a thin line. Some things she wanted to forget about seemed to come back to her.

"_Aoi, recently Azusa's been saying strange things about you," Ritsu said, "...But I can't believe her. You're a good girl, right?"_

"Yes, they really are..." Aoi said.

"_..Uhh...so...in short, this is all my fault. I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, I'l__l do everything I can for you to heal your arm.__..__" _

"_I know..."_

"_Huh...?"_

"_I know if Ao-chan was the one who shot me..." the brunette smiled, "She must have a good reason for that..."_

"_Yui-senpai...but..."_

"_I don't really understand what Azu-nyan's been thinking, but I know..." she said, "...that Ao-chan is not a bad person__...__!"_

"...idiots."

Mugi let out a small laugh.

"And..." she said, "Not everything you said to us is the truth, right...?"

Aoi only gave her a mysterious smile.

* * *

Aoi waved Mugi good bye before heading back toward her car. No sooner than she sat in it than her phone vibrated in her pocket. She quickly picked it up and said, "Hello...?"

"Ah... Aoi?" she heard a boy's voice in the other end.

"Collins...?" she muttered.

"Why do you call me like that...? Just call me Rick, as usual."

Her driver glanced at her curiously. She knew her face must show insurmountable bitterness right now, because his face softened before turning back to front.

"Well, because I never thought we'll speak anymore." Her voice was quiet, but every word was distinct.

The guy laughed. "How's Japan?"

"Just like everything my father said," she said. Damn, why wouldn't he catch the hint in her voice...?

"Not interesting, huh?" Rick laughed again.

She decided to just force him to go straight to the point. "I never thought you'd call..."

"Well..." He coughed lightly and his tone of voice changed. "Listen, I don't mind long-distance relationship. You see, I'm still, uhm, I can't stop thinking about you, so, uh," he said, "...Aoi, will you come back to me?"

Silence.

"No, Collins..." she said flatly, "Come off it. We're done."

She could imagine how shocked his face was on the other side. "But..."

"I'm sorry. This will be our last phone call," she said, "I don't love you anymore."

She clicked the phone off in silence.

As she looked at the clear blue sky from the window and the car sped away and away from Sakuragaoka High School, a small smile tugged on her lips. She didn't really understand much of the feeling she came away with as she whispered...

"Good bye... Ritsu-senpai."

* * *

A girl's frantic, anxious voice was heard from the changing rooms behind the stage.

"W-w-what's the point of this 'ceremony'? !"

Another girl's voice, which was in a more excited and easy-going tone, replied, "What, Mio-chan, it's obvious, they've only announced the winners and that's it. We haven't even received the prize yet. They want to do it in a grander manner."

"I, I mean, they've already known the winners right? ! We don't need something like this!"

"Oh, c'mon, Mio-chan. We just need to have some fun!"

"But this is embarrassing!"

"Really? But I like it," Ritsu grinned, naughtily ogling her from head to toe, "It really suits you..."

Mio uncomfortably flushed. She felt like she was being stripped by those amber eyes that she liked so much...

Thirty minutes earlier, a team of stylists forced her into a luxurious white dress that awfully resembled a wedding gown. As if it wasn't enough shock for her, Ritsu suddenly came in to her changing room already dressed up in a jet black suit, a neatly tucked-up shirt and a handsome tie. She didn't even wear her hair band. Mio was temporarily muted at the gorgeous sight in front of her before Ritsu saw her expression and burst into laughter.

"So? You haven't given any comments on how my stylists have ruined my good looks," she joked, "Or do you want to save it until we're on stage?"

"I...idiot!" Mio said, "...You look..."

"I look...?" she said in a teasing tone. Mio knew Ritsu meant to remind her of what she said days ago that she looked weird with her hair down.

"...I'm sorry, Ritsu..."

"Huh?" she said with a fake confusion on her face.

"Of what I said," she muttered, "You don't look weird at all..." She looked up at her and smiled.

"You look much better...this way."

It was Ritsu's turn to blush.

Mio giggled, but she stopped when she realized Ritsu's face was closing in to hers.

She felt her heart stop, but she was ready. She could see how Ritsu's eyes whispered to her silently, "Close your eyes." So she did, and as Ritsu touched her cheek with her palm, she leaned closer and a small thought gave her a tingly feeling in her stomach...

This is it...our second kiss.

"Ah...Ahem..." they heard Nodoka's voice from the door, "I didn't mean to interrupt, but can you please continue that after the ceremony...?"

The voice quickly drew them apart. Ritsu almost jumped away from Mio, now not daring to look at her anymore. Mio felt her face blushing so badly.

Being caught sure is embarrassing...

"It's already time..."

"Uh, uh, yeah! Let's go now, Mio!"

Mio could only nod.

...Maybe this ceremony was not as bad as she thought.

* * *

"You're so phenomenal. It is the first Prince and Princess Contest we hold in this school and we've already gotten ourselves a couple as a winner! More surprisingly, you became a couple in this contest! Isn't that cool or what! ?"

The crowd clapped and whistled at them. Mio was silent.

"Who's up for a kiss? !"

Mio felt her ears almost burned as they were deafened by the booming cheers from the crowd.

'Okay...' Mio thought helplessly, 'Correction. This is much worse than I thought...'

"We...well..." Ritsu said, "We're not actually... officially going out, yet..."

The crowd held their breath.

"What? Really?" the MC said, "But you have kissed in that cottage!"

Mio felt a thousand times more embarrassed when she announced it like that. It was like she had no privacy any longer, even less than when she was followed by the members of her fan club. Why did they have to come on to that, anyway? ?

"Well, that's..." Even Ritsu couldn't directly give a response to her remark.

"But you love her, don't you...?" she said, "And, Akiyama-san, the way you protected Tainaka-san back then is so heroic and touching. We were even confused which one of you was the prince halfway through the video!"

Ritsu sneezed and the audience laughed. Mio knew she was coming down with flu because of the accident in the final round, but she couldn't open her mouth and tell the audience. She was so embarrassed she even felt she could never speak anymore.

"Actually..." Mio noticed how Ritsu was almost as embarrassed as she was, but she could still manage a naughty grin. "I planned to ask her about it today."

There was a brief silence as what Ritsu just said began to sink in the audience's mind.

Which was followed by uproar and extremely loud whistles that almost drowned the MC's excited voice.

"Calm down, calm down, everyone!" she shouted.

Mio's reaction was far from joy. She might be the only one who knew when Ritsu was being serious and when she was not. "...Ritsu...what the hell are you...?"

As expected, Ritsu turned and whispered to her ears, "C'mon, this seems fun. Let's give them what they want."

However, she soon found out the consequences of her actions. "That's a very brave decision, Tainaka-san. Can you ask her now?"

She blinked. "Eh? Now?"

"Yes! Who wants to see them official NOW? ?"

The crowd cheered insanely, demanding Ritsu to grant their wish. Mio was paralyzed.

Grinning, Ritsu turned to Mio and took her hand.

"Ritsu!" she whispered urgently. What the hell was the idiot thinking...?

"This might look cheesy, but let's give them a show now, shall we...?" she murmured.

Mio prayed hopelessly as she prepared herself to come in for another of Ritsu's ideas to humiliate themselves in public.

However, nothing ever gave Mio more surprise in her life than the view of Ritsu suddenly kneeling in front of her and hundreds of Sakuragaoka High School students, including their classmates and best friends, with her hand still firmly holding onto hers.

"Mio, remember when we were in junior high...I asked you how it was to be in love and you said... you said that you started to imagine that you were a princess and... the other person was your prince?" she said in a clear voice to her mike.

Staring at that pair of beautiful, loving eyes, Mio found her mouth moved on its own. "...Yes."

The smile on Ritsu's face widened.

"Mio..."

At that particular pause, there was only silence, as if every single person who was present in that room suddenly stopped breathing.

Mio's eyes found Ritsu's, which harbored every single bit of her feelings, her passion...

...true love.

And she knew she was returning the exact same love in her gaze.

Mio waited, trying hard not to break eye contact...

And so came out her voice, calm and thoughtful, as if she was reading a carefully composed love letter...

"...Can I be your prince...?"

The euphoria that followed those words was more inconceivable than anyone could ever imagine.

Not even Aoi.

Not even Mugi.

And not even Mio and Ritsu themselves.

And as the shy bassist, whose shock was too much for her to speak, couldn't keep her composure any longer and lost herself in the drummer's embrace, their classmates jumped onto the stage, with Yui and Mugi being the first, to engulf them in a massive group hug.

Jun and Ui cheered and shouted on the top of their voices, while Azusa, ignoring the tears in her eyes, pulled out her cell phone to savor this moment forever in the form of a picture...

And she just knew...who the first person she would send it to was.

She felt that someone should be complimentary about what came off a certain person's hard work behind the scenes, and for some reason, she knew what she should say on that person's behalf...

"Please be happy always...Mio-senpai, Ritsu-senpai."

Then she pushed the capture button.

* * *

The End

* * *

A/N: Ritsu's princely confession was credited to Marianaqmb, thanks Mariana XDD

Usually, this will be the longest author note where authors write the last notes and moral values for this story, but well, I won't make it too long XD *shot again*

Obviously I thank everyone who's given me support, reviews, favorites, or even simply read it to the very end.

This story was started by my love for Mitsu, but my true motivation to begin writing a multi-chaptered fanfiction was ignited by a certain Lil Donkey... XD

And now for announcements!

I will create an extra chapter for "Besotted", maybe some sort of 'Afterwards', which is going to be separated from this fic, so expect some more Mitsu by then. XD

And everyone! Please kindly join this forum! We really expect your support! XD

**(remove the space) http:/ / k-onfanfictionaward. findforum****. ****net/**

Or you can click the link from Ryuamakusa4eva's profile page.. XD

Once again, thanks everyone, for EVERYTHING! !


End file.
